For the Love of Love
by legal-girl30
Summary: When Bella Swan's girlfriend, Tanya, invites introverted Edward Cullen over for a night of fun, sparks fly and a connection is made. Can Bella trust herself with another guy? AH-AU OOC BxT/ExB
1. Invited

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and all its characters.**

**BPOV**

"You invited who?" I asked.

Tanya walked around behind me to wrap her hands around my waist and give me a kiss at the back of my neck. She always knew what made me relax.

"Edward Cullen. You should know him; he's practically in all of your classes anyway."

"Yes, Tanya, I do know him. I just find it hard to believe that he would agree to what we had planned. Somehow he doesn't strike me as the type."

She took a couple seconds before making her reply but I saw it. What did she do?

"Well…its not like he needed a terrible amount if convincing. I guess the stress of coursework combined with the fact that he could have the two of us made the idea seem pretty enticing."

Of course. Who wouldn't turn the opportunity to fuck Tanya? Even if they saw me as some weird additional person messing things up.

"Hey. I know that face," she started her scolding, "this is going to be fine. It's going to be pretty hot too if you ask me. I'll bet that that Edward Cullen turns out to be a sex-God."

I couldn't stop the laugh that came out of me at her words. I saw Edward Cullen, like I said, he didn't look the type. But then again, Tanya is hardly wrong about things like this. Maybe she's actually right again.

"Ok Tanya, we'll see about that. When did u schedule this for?"

"Friday night. Something tells me you're going to need some fun after you finish that assignment for your PoliSci class."

"You guessed right. Speaking of which, I should get back to." I pulled away from her embrace and turned around to kiss her fully on her lips. Tanya was always the one to deepen it, tracing her tongue over my lips before entering my mouth. I felt her hand caressing my sides before slowly moving up to cup my breasts. The low moan that escaped me was the sign.

"Tanya, work, remember?" I mumbled against her lips.

She pulled me, gave me one quick kiss and stepped away giving me her sad puppy dog eyes. I laughed.

"Don't worry, Friday. I'll be at the library if anything. See you later."

"Bye, you bookworm!" she said and waved and walked back to her room.

Watching her walk away I finally let my mind swim a little. Edward Cullen. Oh boy…

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**EPOV**

I groaned and slammed the book down on the desk; a hollow echoing flowing through the near deserted library.

I agreed to a threesome. I, Edward Cullen, agreed to a threesome. When Tanya approached me earlier this afternoon I had no idea what to think. Then she asked if I would like to participate in the act with her…and Bella.

Oh, God…Bella. I wasn't going to lie, I imagined being with her like that the first moment I saw her but when I found out that she was bi-sexual and that Tanya was her girlfriend, well…who would want to compete with what Tanya could offer her? I gave up on those dreams pretty immediately. Until, of course, Tanya approached me with her proposition. Any guy would jump at the opportunity to end up in bed with Tanya and Bella, they had to be the sexiest girls on campus, both in their own way.

Me? I was more focused on Bella than I was on Tanya. Finally, being with her, in her, together.

The soft thump of a book hitting the floor brought me out of my reverie before I would have been faced with a massive hard-on in the middle of the library. Leaning back on my chair to find the source of the thump, my heart skipped a beat when I realised it was no other than Bella herself. This had to be the best angle I've ever witnessed her at and good God, her breasts!

Speak of the sexy devil.

She quickly gathered the book to her and walked in the opposite direction from my station. She must be here finishing up her PoliSci assignment as I was.

I turned my attention back to my work on soldiered on. Friday, Cullen, Friday.

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This is my first fanfic so reviews, comments, ideas and even criticisms are welcomed.

Writers would be nowhere without readers.


	2. Eventful

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**EPOV**

Walking down the corridor to Tanya and Bella's apartment was such a daunting task I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to arrive. Finally, a couple more steps and a turn to the right, I was there, room 630.

A shaky fist rose and knocked on the cedar door. Fuck! Why am I so nervous? It's not like you haven't done this before. Well, technically I haven't been in a threesome before but I have had sex. Pull it together, Cullen, do you want Bella to think that you're sexually stunted? That seemed to calm myself down a bit that is until the door opened.

Bella stood in all her glory before me and the door was still masking half of her figure. Her chocolate brown eyes reflected both excitement and anxiety. Her long brown hair caught the last light of the setting sun through their opened window and the red tints were shown. Her mouth was turned into an upward smile with the corner of her bottom lip being bit by her teeth. Sexiest. Sight. Ever.

I realised I must have been staring like an idiot before I decided to actually say something.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. How are you?" I said, stretching my hand out for her to shake. She tentatively reached out for my hand and grasped it with a strength I did not believe she could possess and I was damned if I imagined that current that flowed between us when we touched.

"I'm Bella Swan. Come on in, Edward."

She led me through the door into her room. It was a pretty nice room for a college dorm; small living area with a kitchenette and two doors that sealed off the bedrooms. The couch was leather and facing a flat screen that was mounted on the wall while the coffee table held two pizzas and 3 cans of soda.

"Edward! Darling! You made it!" Tanya entered the living area from her room and enveloped me in her embrace. From the corner of my eye I saw Bella watch us with a look of amusement adorning her features. "I see you have already met Bella, my girlfriend. She could be your girlfriend too if she would have you, but she's quite picky." At that, Bella's face almost turned stone cold.

Tanya immediately left my side to go to hers. She ran her hands down Bella's arms and entwined their fingers as she took Bella's lips with hers. It did not last long but when Tanya pulled away, Bella's 'death-stare' had disappeared, and I was truly thankful.

"I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean it any other way, only that I consider myself lucky." Tanya told her while tucking a strand of hair behind her hair.

"It's okay, no harm done." Bella replied, her original smile now back in place.

Tanya beamed and then turned her attention to me. "Now, Edward, I was thinking that we could familiarise ourselves with each other before things get started. Is that okay?"

"It will be an honour." I said and allowed them to sit on the couch before me.

The conversation ran smoothly enough, I relayed to them both my life so far - born in Chicago, the middle child between my older brother, Emmett and younger sister, Alice, and the son to a doctor and an interior designer, Carlisle and Esme.

I learnt that Tanya was also a middle child between her two sisters, Irina and Kate. She was born Alaska and moved down to Seattle when her father received a job offer. I was, however, much more interested in Bella. Her father, Charlie, is the Chief of Police in a small town called Forks in Washington. Her parents were divorced and her mother was now living with her new husband in Florida.

Two hours, one and a half pizzas and five sodas later, we were laughing at some random joke which Tanya told. I decided to get rid of the trash that was starting to pile up on the coffee table when both Bella and Tanya reached to stop my hand and muttered, "Leave it." They both looked at each other and nodded. I assumed that this was where they both decided that I was up to the task as they began to pull me into one of the rooms.

The room as dark and the only light source were the candles which Bella had just lit. They led me to the foot of the king-size bed when Tanya brought herself up to me, placed a light kiss upon my lips and pulled back.

"Remember Edward, you can get out of this now if that is what you want. However, if you go forward, then we continue until the very end. I believe that this is for your pleasure as well as ours."

There was really only one person who I needed to make sure was okay with this. I turned to gauge Bella's reaction; her eyes still held the feeling of anticipation but the hesitation that was present before now took a backseat. God, her eyes were expressive. That was all I needed.

To seal my consent I took Tanya's lips with my own and almost immediately darted my tongue out to hers. She was not to be outdone as her hands went quickly to my shirt and pulled off the buttons, the soft clink to be heard when they hit the hardwood floor. Tanya broke away for a second to remove her own shirt and took my lips again when I felt a wet and warm sensation between my shoulder blades.

Holy fuck, Bella was kissing my back. It took all but a second for the feeling to register and confirm that this was not one of my fantasies. Bella was actually trailing kisses down my back while her hands traced the ripples of my stomach. I was now sporting one the most raging hard-on ever. Tanya's hands made quick work of both my jeans and boxers and freed me of its denim prison. She made her way to the edge of the bed while removing her skirt and underwear; I knew what she wanted and I would give it to her gladly because it meant I would get to Bella faster.

I kissed Tanya from her lips down to her breasts. I let the tip of my tongue flick over her left nipple while my hand made to massage her right. I licked, sucked and nibbled earning moans from her and moving over to her other breast. I continued my journey down making sure to dip my tongue into her bellybutton and giving that another nibble as well. Finally I reached to where Tanya was warm, wet and ready. I blew a steady breath over her clit making her tremble before I took her into my mouth. Running my tongue the length of her sex made her tremble even more while I added the use of my hands to massage between her folds. Her hips bucked off the bed telling me that she needed some sort of friction; it was then that I slid two of fingers into her.

My tongue and fingers were working vigorously on Tanya when my dick was suddenly taken into a warm and wet environment. I broke my focus from Tanya only to find Bella with her mouth around my dick and her face carrying a look of enjoyment. I brought my focus back to Tanya where, encouraged by Bella, I began my ministrations at a rough pace. When I felt myself hit the back of Bella's throat I groaned, sending a wave of vibrations through Tanya's being which brought on her climax, her internal muscles constricting around my fingers and her juices ran free. She let out a tiny scream followed by a groan of pleasure while she rode out the last waves of her climax.

I leaned back to watch Bella's focus on me, her eyes were now open and on mine while I just gazed at her like an idiot. This had to be some kind of dream. Her movements were so fluid and smooth, she only used her teeth to gently graze the length of my member while sliding out which was a terrific feeling. The perfect combination of her suction and whatever miracles her hands were doing to my balls had me on the edge.

"That's enough, Bella. Come up on the bed so Edward can repay you." Tanya called to her.

Bella dragged her teeth along me one last time and brought herself to the bed. It was then that I realised that I had not done anything for her this entire time. She was already naked and lying before me; her hair spread out around her, perfect perky breasts and overall the most sensual body I had ever seen.

I was going to worship this woman.

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**BPOV**

The look in Edward's eyes was unmistakeable: determination. I was not sure what he was determined to accomplish but when he lowered himself to kiss me for the first time, I had a fair idea. Something told me that this would be different, _he _was different. The look in his eyes, his body language, everything about him seemed…safe. That was probably why I thought he was not cut out for something like this. Boy was I wrong!

His lips took mine in what had to be the sweetest, gentlest kisses I had ever experienced; not even Tanya had this much skill. He did not deepen the kiss but instead licked the line of my jaw and settled in the crook my neck where he licked and sucked. He kissed down my side until he reached my hip and licked him way across. Making his way back up, Edward took my nipple into his mouth and began the most wonderful suckling sensation I felt. Quite similar to what I was doing to his dick, he nibbling my peaks while he sucked and the same continued over to my other breast.

Edward finally brought himself back up to my lips where he thankfully deepened it. He still tasted of the cheese pizza we ate earlier and I never knew it could be so divine. He pulled himself up to his elbows and gave me that look again before sitting up to reach for the condom that lay on the table next to the bed. Tanya beat him to it and allowed herself the privilege to perform a quick fellatio on him before rolling the condom on. She positioned herself at my side and Edward hovered above me.

He took my lips once again, deepening it when he began to press himself inside of me. Inch by beautiful inch he continued to slide in, filling me so thoroughly and somehow invoking feelings within me that I never thought I could feel again. His lips stayed on mine until he was fully sheathed in me.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked carefully. That was definitely new.

I nodded, taking a while to find my voice. "I'm okay." I tentatively whispered.

He kissed my forehead, his lips lingering there while he began a rhythm. Slow, too slowly, he pulled out and let himself back in. After a while I had had enough of slow and wanted some damned friction already; I raised my hips to meet his on his next stroke which apparently surprised him. That gave him a heavy dose of encouragement which he needed.

Every stroke of his after that came quicker, rougher, more fervent while Tanya's hand never failed in massaging my clit and her mouth to kiss my breasts all the pleasuring herself with a vibrator. Edward kept his eyes on mine and I could do nothing to look away. His emerald greens caught me the moment I opened the door for him earlier that evening, and if I was honest with myself, I don't think I would have wanted to look away. His eyes said it all while he continued - concern, care.

I could not help myself when I brought his face down to mine and kissed his lips, biting it roughly which provoked him to going more roughly. At this point in time we were all covered in a sheen of sweat. A familiar tugging and constriction in my stomach alerted me to my oncoming climax. I did not know if Edward was anywhere near his as well so I brought my lips to his ear and whispered, "You feel amazing. Cum with me."

With that, he groaned and rode me faster until he returned the favour and whispered in my ear, "You are the amazing one. Come…now."

I arched my back and let out a scream as I experienced one of the most powerful orgasms ever. I had barely registered the fact that Edward had let out a groan of pleasure of his own and even Tanya came along with us.

We all collapsed onto the huge bed after that, our spent bodies too tired to do anything else. All that could have been heard for the minutes following our combined orgasms was our breathing as we tried to catch our breaths. It did not take long for sleep to envelop us and strangely enough, the fact that I was about to fall asleep in a man's arms did not bother me, but maybe that was due to the fact that those arms belonged to Edward Cullen.

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No complaints so far so I'm going to keep going.

Thanks for the reviews so far and keep em coming.


	3. Foreign

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**EPOV**

Waking up next to a sleeping Bella had to be one of life's most treasured moments. Her hair was splayed all around her like a sea of chocolate that smelt like strawberries and her face displayed the very definition of peace. I may have been watching Bella a moment too long because I felt the all too familiar feeling between my legs. Fucking morning wood. I turned to lie on my back and stared at the ceiling willing for the inconvenience to just get the hell away.

Movement to my right refreshed my memory that it wasn't just me and Bella here this morning. Tanya rose up to her elbows and surveyed me.

"My, my. Someone is indeed an early riser." She taunted.

Quickly, she crawled down to between my legs and took me in her mouth before I got a chance to protest. Before even an entire second had passed I wondered why anyone would ever object to having their dick in someone like Tanya's mouth when they were sporting a raging hard-on? Even thought I felt a pang of guilt of doing this while Bella was asleep mere inches away from us, the horny man in me told me to shut the fuck up and enjoy it while it lasted; so, grudgingly, I did.

Tanya's gentle suction combined with her skilled hands and mouth was enough to bring any man to climax within minutes, unless they had Bella's mouth around them the night before. And Tanya, had nothing on Bella when it came to this area of expertise.

All too soon however, Tanya halted her movements and made to wake up Bella to my side. She snuggled closely to Bella and started to nip at her breasts. Bella stirred mere seconds after Tanya began her act and first had a look of confusion on her face which turned into a small smile after she looked down and realised what was happening. Bella brought her hand up to Tanya's chin to pull her up so she can kiss her. Hell, if I was not hard before, I damn well was now.

Two of the hottest girls on campus were now so fully into their actions that I was sure they could feel each other tongues at the back of their throats. Their hands were not idle either, as they groped, massaged and pinched each other's breasts eliciting the most primal groans I had ever heard. Tanya was the first to break away from their kiss and started making her way down Bella's body. She nibbled her way down her breasts and flat stomach, placing rough kisses along her hip bone slowly guiding her hands down to Bella's opening.

Tanya's lips found Bella's clit which she kissed and sucked as she simultaneously inserted two fingers into her. This had to be a dream right? There was no way that this was actually happening right in front of me. My hand somehow found its way to my now steel hard dick and began stroking. This was in no way better than having Bella's mouth of me but seeing as how she was otherwise busy, I would have to make do for now.

My hand movements became swifter and rougher before Tanya paused and shot a sideways glance to me. She smirked at me and said, "Oh, Edward. We have left you out haven't we? Do not worry, if memory serves there is still one unfilled hole in this room." She wiggled her ass slightly for emphasis. "Condoms are in the nightstand's drawer." She said and brought her attention back to Bella.

My body moved on its own accord, fuelled now by adrenaline and hormones while my mind was still trying to catch up. I went quickly to the drawer, retrieved a condom from the box and rolled it onto myself within a minute. Before I knew it, I was lining myself up Tanya, her facing Bella still bringing her pleasure. When my body and mind were finally in sync, I looked to Bella only to find her staring at me biting her bottom lip. Pushing myself into Tanya, I imagined that I was filling Bella once more.

**BPOV**

My dreams that night were basically a replay of everything that happened the night before. The sensation of having both Tanya and Edward was unlike anything I had ever felt before. And Edward… his part in everything took front stage in my dreams so when I woke up to Tanya's suckling on my breasts I did not know what to think. A moment of confusion was replaced with sleepy happiness as I realised that as always, my loving girlfriend was always there for me.

A quick glance to my side granted me to a dazed Edward who looked like he had also only just woken up. The way he was watching Tanya sparked a miniscule feeling of insecurity that lingered for years; of course he was entranced by Tanya. Whatever I felt last night was obviously one sided. I pulled Tanya up to show my gratitude for always being there, deepening our kiss and allowing my hands the opportunity to roam her body. I was rewarded quickly when she made her way down to where she made me wet and ready and gave me some much needed friction.

She had basically told Edward to take her from behind and my mind went into overdrive remembering how good he felt in me last night. The memories of Edward mixed with Tanya's ministrations had me biting my lip to conceal a groan of pleasure. When I looked up, Edward was already behind Tanya and pushing himself into her while his focus was on me. Was it possible that he remembering just as I was?

When, I assumed, that he was fully sheathed in Tanya, she let out a low moan which vibrated the already sensitive muscles she was working on. She had now added the vibrator into me while her tongue continued to tease my clit and her hands massaging my breasts. Periodically pulling away to blow on me only served to make me more aroused. My hand in Tanya's hair guided her to where I needed her the most at any time.

Bringing my focus back up, I found that Edward was still staring at me, he wore the look which he did last night and my skin broke out in goose bumps. The three of us soon became a mess of satisfied moans and frenzied movements. Edward was now solidly pounding into Tanya, his gaze still locked on me, Tanya responded to Edward by shifting further into me with the vibrator which had me quickly approaching the edge. I began to imagine that it was Edward that was in me, invoking these feelings, just as he did last night. I concluded that his constant stare told me that perhaps he was thinking the same and that I was not alone in whatever this was beginning to be.

At that moment, Tanya hit a particular spot which had me caused me to let out a small scream with an arch of my back. As the chain of events followed, my scream pushed Edward to quicken his movements in Tanya and she, in turn, kept finding that spot in me. All too soon, I was the one who climaxed first. Edward's frenzied movements and subsequent grunt and moans seconds later told me that he had reached his as well. Still, he kept going a few strokes more to let Tanya achieve her own.

Again, just as last night, we all crumpled into a sweaty and exhausted mess. It occurred to me that Tanya and I had never had a threesome this intense, that the previous candidates were never able to satisfy us both. Yet here was Edward, a quiet, introverted man who was well on his way to being a sex-god. Tanya would want him back, soon. And I do not know what that meant for this foreign feeling.

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Reviews are love.


	4. Change

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**BPOV**

The late morning and early afternoon warmth began to filter through the windows and served as a quiet alarm. For the second time that day I awoke naked and with Tanya on top of me, she was still asleep this time though. As I had to do many times before, quietly and slowly I rolled Tanya off of me so that she did not wake up.

Finally being able to sit up and stretch my sore muscles, it did not escape me that Edward was nowhere to be seen. His clothes were all gone and where he fell asleep hours earlier looked as thought he never existed at all. The only thing remained of him that late morning was the faded scent of his cologne. I did not expect him to just run away at first light but then again, I did not expect him to be that good in bed. I sighed quietly, swallowed my disappointment and headed off to the bathroom the clean up.

My cheeks still held a tint of red to them; my hair was in a ridiculous state – sex hair – I groaned. I freshened up, took a quick shower, brushed through my tangles and still exited the bathroom to find a sound asleep Tanya on the bed. She always slept in late after a night like last night. I smiled at the sight of her; ruined hair just like mine had been yet it still looked sexy and a small smile playing around her lips. I leaned in carefully and placed a kiss on her forehead before heading out to salvage something for us to eat.

The second I stepped out into the living room I was hit with an array of the most wonderful scents to ever be there on a morning. I turned the small corner that led to the small kitchen in the room to find Edward in one of our 'kiss the cook' aprons looking over a pan on the fire and a spatula in his hand. If I had not seen him in all his naked glory last night what I saw before me would have been the sexiest sight I had ever seen.

"You cook?" I was honestly surprised.

He was obviously startled by my entrance but a smile quickly graced his features and his quiet laugh followed soon after.

"Yes, I do, actually. My mother made it a point to teach me a few things before I left for college. She was not a firm believer in eating cafeteria food twenty four-seven." He shot me a crooked smile and turned his attention back to the pan.

My curiosity finally got the best of me as I walked him beside him to observe just what it was that held his attention. I could not help the small gasp that left me as I realised that he was making one of my favourite breakfast meals – French toast. I leaned in closer to the pan and inhaled deeply; my legs nearly gave out by the scent which emanated. I pulled back from the pan and rose up on my toes to take Edward's lips into mine. Oh, God. He felt better now than he did last night. I did not deepen the kiss but instead pulled back and gave a small kiss on his nose. His facial expression could only be best described as stunned.

I laughed and said, "What? It says 'kiss the cook'," as I pointed to the front of the apron he was wearing and made my way to sit on one of high stools which surrounded our little island.

"So it does." He said with a chuckle as he fished out the first batch and put another in. "I take it that you like French toast?"

"No, I don't. I love it! How did you know?"

"Lucky guess. I also made blueberry pancakes just in case."

Pancakes too? I looked around on the table and surely enough, a stack of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and a can of Cool Whip whipped cream next to it. It was my turn to wear the stunned expression on my face.

"Wow. French toast and pancakes? You are just full of talents aren't you?" I said as I winked.

He blushed. "Like I said, you'll have to thank my mother for that one. But I am glad that you got up before I was finished; saves me the trouble of having to wake you up with trays in my hands."

"I'm sure we would not have minded. You'll be surprised at how welcoming we can be once we get a delicious breakfast out of it."

"And they say that the way to a man's heart is his stomach." We both laughed at that.

Fifteen minutes and countless jokes after, breakfast, well brunch by that time, was ready and Tanya walked out of the bedroom. On time as always.

"Good morning, beautiful people." She greeted us.

She walked to my side and give me a chaste kiss on my lips before asking, "Well, what is all this?" as she surveyed the food before us.

"Edward did us the honour of making us breakfast." I offered.

A huge grin formed on her face as she walked over to Edward and gave him a big kiss on the lips. "Thank you very much, Edward." She said as she pulled away from their kiss. His face held the same stunned expression as it did when I kissed him before.

Edward simply smiled and said, "Really, it was no trouble at all. Now, dig in."

I immediately leapt for the French toast and quickly put a bite into my mouth. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as I savoured every little thing about it. This had to be hands down the best French toast I ever had. I looked back to Edward who was looking at me, presumably waiting for me to tell him what I thought. I merely cut another bite, held the fork to his direction, winked and ate again.

Fantastic French toast, I was willing to bet the pancakes tasted unbelievable as well, amazing kisser, fucking divine in bed and too sexy. I began to think if there was a flaw in anything that was Edward Cullen.

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**EPOV**

Watching Bella enjoying every bite of my French toast had to be the highlight of my weekend. The way she closed her eyes as the fork entered her mouth to the moment she let of a little moan when she swallowed had every hair on the back of my neck standing on edge. Tanya was nearly the same with her pancakes which she offered countless compliments on. I had to thank my mother whole-heartedly when I saw her again.

Conversation at breakfast flowed easily enough, we joked about occurrences on campus, various lecturers and basically everything and anything which surrounded the University of Washington. From the dreary weather we experienced ninety percent of the year to our favourite places on and off campus, our conversation never lacked.

It wasn't until late afternoon that I decided it was time to leave; I made plans with my brother and sister for that evening. The three of us walked slowly out to the door, I found it hard to leave Bella after spending such a lengthy time together. Tanya was an amazing and brilliant person but she could not hold a candle to Bella, but of course that could have been my personal bias talking.

"Make sure and visit us again soon. Our door will always be open to you, darling." Tanya said as she drew me closer to her and placed a firm kiss on my lips. She pulled back, shot me a brilliant smile and left Bella and I in the doorway.

Awkwardly I started, "Well, uh—thank you for a wonderful night."

Bella blushed and said, "I should be saying thank you, as well. Breakfast really was delicious." She stepped closer to me and placed a chaste kiss on my lips, lingering there for a couple more seconds than normal.

I pulled back to see her eyes still closed and I took the opportunity to place a soft kiss on her forehead. I stepped out of her doorway and into the hall saying, "I will see you in class on Monday."

"Of course." She said, looking as sad as I was about leaving.

I mustered up all of my strength in that moment to walk away from her because I knew that if I did not we might have been standing there all night. I walked down their corridor, out into the courtyard and deeply inhaled the fresh air but secretly yearning for the scent of strawberries again.

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	5. Feeling

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**EPOV**

Brown hair. Brown eyes. Chocolate. Hell, she even tasted as sweet as chocolate.

"Sir, are you ready to order?" the waiter to my left brought me out of my reverie and reminded me where I was.

"Oh, right. Umm…I'll have the chicken alfredo."

"Excellent choice." He said and took our menus and headed off to the kitchen to place our orders.

I was at one of the local Italian restaurants having dinner with my brother, Emmett and sister, Alice. Every three weeks we would have dinner, just the three of us and catch up. It was my turn to choose the location so I finally decided on one of the newly opened Tuscan Villa which was very well received by many a critic.

Alice was the first to start up our small talk. "So, bro, chocolate? Not many chocolate based entrees out there now." She said, chuckling.

What the hell? "Chocolate? What do you mean?"

"While you were reading the menu, you muttered something about chocolate. Something you want to talk about?"

Fuck. Okay, this is Alice, she can spot lying from a mile away this is not the time to be playing coy. "Did I? Oh." Well… a guy can try right?

"Give it up, Edward. We're not stupid. Who is she?"

"Yes, tell us, who is the unfortunate girl?" Emmett finally chimed in. Great, now that he was on the same path as Alice I had no choice now; they would keep badgering me about Bella until I gave something, anything up.

"Fine. Her name is Bella. Isabella, really. She's in a couple of my classes at school."

"Well, that explains the mood for Italian." Emmett said and let out a loud laugh that echoed the restaurant.

I rolled my eyes at him and turned to face Alice only to see that her attempt to mask a smile went horribly down the drain. In a matter of seconds she was squealing and clapping her hands.

"Are you serious? You finally met someone? I'm so happy! Tell me more."

Ha! Most definitely not. That was all they were going to get about Bella for now. Even I did not know where we would be after last night and this morning. We were getting along great this morning in the kitchen just talking about absolutely nothing at all. And last night we fit together in a way that blew my mind.

"Calm down, Alice. We just had one date so far. Nothing is set is stone."

"Well I disagree. There's something about her, obviously, or she would not be infiltrating your thoughts the way she is. Not to mention you have had a silly grin on your face since we saw you. I can tell this is going to be great."

Ah, yes. Alice and her weird sense of foresight. This was the one time I was not going to argue with her on the topic because I really did want more Bella in my future.

"Truthfully, I hope so Alice." Desperate to get the conversation off me, I turned to Emmett and asked, "How about you, Em? Since Alice got us started, how is Rosalie?"

As always, at the mere mention of Emmett's wife, Rosalie, his face broke out into a wide grin. Rosalie and Emmett had been together since Emmett's sophomore year in college, after graduation they even worked at the same company and got married a year ago.

"Beautiful as ever." He laughed. "She is great. I don't see why so many newlyweds complain about their first year of marriage. Rose and I are both happy, more in love than ever and hopefully, a little Em or Rose will be on the way."

Again, Alice let out one of her high pitched squeal of joy and Emmett and I moved to cover our ears. "Alice!" we said together.

"Sorry. Come on, Edward, how can you not be excited? I can be an aunt soon and you, an uncle." She said.

I turned to Emmett and offered my congratulations. Emmett and Rosalie often rivalled our parents when it came to happiness.

Alice continued, "Everything is going so great. My brothers are happy and I have the greatest boyfr—, " she stopped mid-sentence as though she had not intended for it to slip out.

"You have a what?" Emmett and I quickly inquired.

She sighed in exasperation and finally told us about her boyfriend, Jasper. They were both freshman in Alice's university and apparently pursuing the same major. She gushed on and on about how he was such a Southern gentleman and how gorgeous he was until our food arrived.

We continued our conversation easily through the meal and as big brothers; we insisted that we meet this Jasper soon. Alice scowled but did not say anything.

When we finished our entrees and it was time for dessert, to no one's surprise at the table, I ordered the chocolate torte and thought of Bella.

************

**BPOV**

Watching Edward leave that evening struck something in me that I thought I would never feel again. Who was this man who was suddenly invoking feelings in me that I gave up on ever experiencing again?

Since the beginning of the semester Edward had been in the majority of my classes so of course I noticed him. He was beautiful. He was obviously smart. He was polite and nice. He had the body of a Greek God. He was a master in bed. Okay, so I did not know the last two until last night but the fact was that I did notice him.

That brought up an entire new array of questions in my mind when Tanya and I sat down to watch one of our favourite movies on the flat screen. I was usually still engrossed in any movie I watched, no matter how many times I saw it, but tonight Edward Cullen was the star in my head.

I thought about whether or not he noticed me sometimes as well, whether he was thinking of me as I was now. When we made love last night his attention was so focused on me. Even this morning when he was with Tanya, his luscious green eyes conveyed that he was thinking something else. I shook those thoughts out of my head quickly though because I felt guilty for thinking of him when Tanya was lying across on the sofa, her head in my lap. I quickly cursed him for infiltrating my thoughts the way he had and turned my attention back to Tanya and the movie.

I ran my fingers though her soft, golden tresses and smiled when she looked up at me. I leaned down and quickly pressed my lips to hers. It was a small form of appreciation; Tanya has always been there for me, through thick and thin and she loved me. I loved her as she loved me. That was it. I loved Tanya and no Edward Cullen was going to come between that. He still did not know me, I did not know him and there was no chance we could be together.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked Tanya, trying to get out my own head.

"Edward Cullen." She answered.

What the fuck? Did she seriously just say that?

"What? Edward Cullen?"

"Yeah. He was pretty good last night, wasn't he? I was just thinking about whether or not we should invite him over again. What do you think?"

Damn it all to hell. So much for that. Tanya liked him. Of course she did, I knew she would. I was not sure what my answer would be to that. Yes, he was amazing last night, but for even Tanya to think about a second coming so quickly was strange.

"Tired of little ol' me already?" I said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Of course not, beautiful." She sat up and brought her lips to mine.

Her kiss, as always, started off chaste and she quickly deepened it. Her tongue traced the line of my bottom lip and as I granted her access into my mouth, she quickly darted to massage my own tongue. Tanya's kisses always held passion, need and want and I was helpless to resist it.

Her hands pulled my sweatshirt about my head and I did the same and came back down to massage my breasts. I moaned into her mouth and she pinched one of my already hardened nipples. Her actions quickly made me warm and wet to my center. I undid the buckle of her bra and broke away from her kiss. I licked my way down her jaw and neck, stopping at the hollow in throat, always one of my favourite places.

I continued down until I reached the peaks of her breasts. They were as hard as mine as I took one into my mouth and let hand massage the other. Tanya's breathing came shallow and quick as her hands trailed down my body until it made contact with my clit. She pushed her hand through my pajama pants and inserted two fingers in me.

Groaning, I moved my mouth to her other breast and increased my suction, adding small bites around her peaks. I brought myself back up to her lips once more and whispered, "Not here."

We quickly scrambled to the bedroom, ridding ourselves of any extra clothes. Tanya went to the bedside table and extracted what we needed. We both had our individual vibrators but this was meant to bring us both to pleasure at the same time. I was already situated on the bed when Tanya came up. She licked the length of my center and gave it a gentle nibble.

Tanya ran half of our toy down my length gathering some lubrication and inserted it into me. It was long and filling but my mind traitorously wandered back to how Edward felt and that this was no comparison. Tanya brought herself above me and slid herself down slowly onto her half; we were now connected.

She started a slow rhythm on her end which made mine move the same. She leaned down to envelop my lips into her kiss as she started to move quicker to gain the friction which we both needed at that moment. The deeper she went, the deeper I went and our breaths were coming out in unison as we were both nearing our edge.

She licked her lips and winked. I nodded in response. Tanya thrust into both of us fervently until we both came. Our quiet screams brought our climaxes down violently.

When our breathing finally calmed down Tanya extracted us from the contraption. She lay down next to me and snuggled into my side as she quickly drifted off to sleep. Her steady and deep breathing had me quickly following her.

My last thought was that Tanya would still ask about Edward soon and I would have to give her an answer. An answer I still did not know.

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	6. Transient

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**EPOV**

"Edward!" Bella screamed as she came while straddling my hips riding me relentlessly. My own climax followed hers mere seconds after. Bella's limp form fell against my chest, her breath cooling the spot she was breathing on.

She turned her head so that I could see into those deep brown, gorgeous eyes. Bella crawled up and placed a kiss on my lips. Smirking, she pulled back and said, "You know, we're quite dirty right now. Let's take a shower." She did not need to tell me twice. I scrambled off the bed with Bella cradled in my arms running towards the shower.

The annoying beeping of my clock went off at that moment. Fucking alarm, not now. That had to be one of the best dreams ever and an alarm basically cock-blocked me leaving me with one of the most powerful morning erections I ever had. What did I do in a past life?

Thoughts of Bella against my shower wall with her legs wrapped around my waist still swarmed my head. I reached down into my boxers and sure enough, steel hard. Damn it. I start to stroke slowly; the thought of being in Bella was enough inspiration.

I thought back to our first night together, how right it felt. I remembered how she ate the French toast I made for her and they way her lips moved, the way those same lips were on me mere hours before.

I start to pump faster and groaned at my thoughts. My groan triggered my memories of Bella's moaning under me and the way she looked into my eyes while I was in her, as if she could see into my soul. My thoughts all collide - my dream of Bella riding me, us in the shower, the memories of last night.

Her long, silky hair cascading over her shoulders while I hold her against the wall, her breasts bobbing in front of me while she rode me, her mouth around me… Before I know it I'm shooting off like a rocket. I keep stroking and it keeps coming. I can feel my boxers and hand covered in my jizz but I'm not even caring right now because that was the best masturbation session ever.

When I recover, I remove the sheets and add it to my laundry list before I head off to take a shower. Keeping my mind blank, I'm able to shower without incurring another hard on by thinking about where my dream was rudely interrupted.

My Sundays normally fell into a lacklustre routine of chores - clean the apartment, do the laundry, finish any assignments that were immediately due and an afternoon call to my parents. After dinner last night I did not know why I was surprised that even my parents asked about Bella when I called, Alice must have already spilled the beans.

"Edward, please. You can't expect just to give us her name," my mother went on. I knew she meant well and was desperate to see me happy, but sometimes she could give Alice a run for her money.

"Mom, stop. That is all you are going to get so far. I told you, this is still in the very early stage for me and Bella. I do not want you or anyone else getting your hopes up." I said.

"It sounds as though you do not want to give yourself any false hope either."

"Maybe that's true." I honestly admitted, but I needed to get this conversation off of the topic of me and Bella. "So, where is Dad today?"

"The emergency room. There was a four car pileup nearby and when Carlisle heard the news he rushed to the hospital. You know your father." She said the last line with a hint of exasperation and love. My father was an excellent doctor and never failed to help someone whenever they needed it.

"Yes, I do know him. Well, I should get going Mom, I want to out some finishing touches on a couple assignments I have due tomorrow."

"Of course, sweetie. You take care. I love you."

"I love you, too, Mom. Say hi to Dad for me and give him my love."

"Will do. Bye." She sent a kiss through the phone before hanging up.

I hung up and turned to face my desk which held my incomplete essays. Philosophy and PoliSci were two of the classes Bella and I shared. I wondered, while I continued my essays, whether Bella was stuck doing the same thing as I was.

**********

**BPOV**

Why in the world did I think Philosophy would have been such a cool subject to take? Truth be told, the discussions were fascinating, the essays – not so much.

Where did all my time go? Between laundry, a trip to the grocery and a quick nap all the hours I thought I had to finish this blasted assignment had disappeared. I had been in worse situations though, entire projects went undone until the night before and I still managed to scrape Cs.

Surely enough, one and a half espressos and four hours later I was finished and burnt out. It was 3am, which meant I could get at least four hours sleep. Too tired to lift myself off the couch, I turned on my side and fell asleep before someone could say 'lights out'.

The heavenly scent of freshly brewed coffee pulled me out of sleep more effectively than the sunshine that was hitting the back of my eyelids. I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before I carried on into the bathroom to get ready for classes. I vaguely registered that Tanya was not in bed when I passed which meant that she was on her daily morning jog. Tanya ran four miles every morning to help keep up her physique.

It was not until I was already showered, dressed and eating in the kitchen that Tanya got back. She was in her usual jogging suit with a light jacket on because of the weather, but even that did not stop her routine. The end of her hair clung to the sides of her face and her cheeks held the faint blush from both the cold and her workout. It was 7am and she still looked sexy as ever.

"Good morning, beautiful." She greeted me. She walked over, gave me a quick kiss on the lips and got a bottle of water.

"Good morning. Had a nice run?" I asked.

"Same as ever. I never get tired of seeing how beautiful the campus really is."

I nodded in agreement and got ready to leave for my first class. I grabbed a power bar to munch in between classes, kissed Tanya and made my way to the door.

"Oh, Bella! I will probably be out of the apartment today if you happen to come back. My classes got moved to the other side of campus and I have got some errands to run in town so I'll be back tonight."

"That's ok. I've got a pretty full day myself and might just take a nap when I come back for lunch." I opened the door and turned back to Tanya sending her a wave and smile before exiting.

My first class was uneventful and I figured that the professor should be fired for being such a lousy lecturer. He always carried on in a monotone voice, never engaged the students and at the end of the class he would run away before anyone can question him.

My Philosophy class was next and I always looked forward to this lecture. Assignments aside, the lectures were provocative and interactive; it did not hurt that the class had some cute guys either, mainly Edward Cullen.

I handed in my essay and got situated in my usual seat. Edward did not arrive until a minute before the lecture commenced but he somehow found me in the sea of students, flashed me his crooked smile and sat next to me.

We shyly muttered greetings and the light fell, directing our attention to the projector screen. I usually paid much attention to the class which I came to have a love-hate relationship with, but Edward sitting next to me made that virtually impossible. There was a strange current flowing between us and it got increasingly harder for me to keep myself from jumping him in the middle of all these people.

Every slight movement he made sent a jolt of warmth between my legs and my mind was slowly unravelling. Thankfully, the lights came back on and the current had now significantly decreased.

"Well, that was an interesting lecture, don't you think?" he asked.

"What?" I replied stupidly. Nice going, Bella. "Oh, right. Yes. Interesting is definitely the word I would use."

We walked out of class together and stopped at the path where we would have to go in different directions.

"So, where to now?" he inquired. "I'm free till 2 so I can walk you to where you have to go. Lunch, maybe?"

"That's sweet, thanks. But I'm actually off now too, I was just thinking about taking a quick nap back at the room."

"Bella, you have to have lunch. Come on," he said while tugging my arm. "let us go back to your place and I'll whip you up some lunch."

I was stunned. Wow. He wants to make me lunch now, too? Well, who was I to deny him that pleasure?

"That sounds great. How about you make some of your delicious French toast again, though?"

"Anything you want, Bella."

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	7. Dynamic

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

*********

**BPOV**

On our way to the apartment I got Edward to relay what he could of out previous lecture under the pretence that I did not get what the professor was talking about. Normally, lies would rack me with guilt in a way that I could not sleep at night but seeing as though he was the cause of my distraction in class a little white lie was not going to hurt anyone.

While he spoke I caught myself staring at his mouth, the way it moved and his full lips. Edward surprised me once again by being the type of person who was very expressive with his hands while he spoke and their movements – his sleek, beautifully pale hand and long, slender fingers – had me thinking of where I would like them.

My daydream came to an end when Edward stopped walking and turned to towards my front door. Wow, that was quick. I opened the door, entered and held it open for Edward. After he crossed the threshold I shut the door, dumped my bag at the foot of the sofa and sat on the soft cushions which made me feel to go right to sleep.

Edward's soft chuckle made me turn to him, towering in the small room. "Rough night?"

I groaned, "Terrible night. I was finishing up the Philosophy assignment."

He smiled sweetly and walked over to the sofa and sat down next to me. "You know, the French toast won't be finished for maybe a half an hour. Why don't you take a quick nap while I get things in order?"

"A nap sounds heavenly right now but I can't just leave you to do everything while I slept." I reasoned.

"Bella, please. I did it over the weekend, didn't I?" He stood up, grasped my legs, brought them over to rest on the length of the sofa and took off my shoes.

As I opened my mouth to complain he kissed me on my lips effectively stopping any thoughts or complaints on the matter.

"You can argue all you want after your nap and lunch. Now, nap." He used that damned sexy crooked smile and left.

I started to feel bad that I left Edward to all the work but after his requests and a yawn that crept up on me, I was not going to give another thought to it.

Forty minutes later, I awoke to the feeling of Edward's lips on my forehead. I opened my eyes and was dazzled by the stunning green ones that met mine. Edward's eyes were filled with happiness and care and I could not help smiling when I rose off the sofa still a bit groggy.

The room smelt positively divine; vanilla and nutmeg. Edward links our arms at our elbows and escorts me to the kitchen; the island already has the French toast laid out in the most elegant presentation and I could not stop giggling. I turned to Edward and kissed him full on the lips for being so nice, because really, he could not actually be real, could he?

He returned my kiss more than willingly and I allowed his tongue to enter my mouth. I moaned at the sensation and all too soon, he pulled away. His eyes grew darker with passion but instead of kissing me again, he smiled and said, "Nice to know I'm not getting any complaints but the toast will get cold if we continue with this."

I laughed and nodded, he did just cook this wonderful meal, and it would be a shame if it went to waste. I quickly gave him a chaste kiss though and sat at the counter.

While we ate, our conversation flowed freely with random facts about each other; favourite books where we discovered that we were both fans of the classics, favourite music where our tastes clashed but we decided not to judge too harshly until we heard it for ourselves. It was not until I mentioned that one of my favourite movies was 'The Princess Bride' that Edward's musical laughter filled the apartment.

"You're kidding! 'The Princess Bride"?"

"Sure, why not? Cary Elwes was dreamy in that movie."

He laughed again at my reasoning, "Please, he would totally get his ass handed to him by Inigo. Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die." He quoted perfectly while brandishing his fork at me like a sword. Who knows how long we duelling with out forks till Edward won.

After we ate, Edward insisted on cleaning up. I sat grudgingly watching him move around the kitchen while thinking that he was way too good to be wasting his time on me but sometimes his eyes gave him away. It seemed that he really did care for me and I suppose that he even liked me; why else go through all this trouble.

The realisation that this perfect man could actually have feelings for me had me rise from the high chair where I was sitting and walk over to where Edward was doing the dishes, because truly, I liked him too. I wrapped my arms around his waist. I tiptoed to place a kiss on the back of his neck before resting my head between his shoulder blades. "Thank you for all of this."

"Anything for you, Bella." He replied.

The words were simple but their meaning ran deep. I gently tugged at his sides, a request for him to turn to me. When he did, his eyes were sad but still filled with passion and desire. The look tugged at my heart and I took his lips to mine.

**********

**EPOV**

Today was extraordinary; there was no other word for it. Although Bella was initially reluctant to have me make her lunch, I was glad that she consented. I insisted that she took a nap while I cooked because even before she made her confession about staying up half the night to finish her assignment, her face bore the tell-tale tiresome signs.

The French toast was ready in half an hour but I allowed her to sleep an extra ten minutes, and allowed myself to observe her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail but it was still beautiful. Her eyes were closed but I knew those gorgeous orbs would not be hid from me for long. Her ends of her mouth were tilted slightly up which told me that whatever was going on in her pretty head, she was happy.

Knowing that cold French toast was not everyone's cup of tea, I pressed my lips gently to her forehead and was surprised at how easily she awoke from the sensation. She smiled when she saw me, and she smiled when I guided her to the kitchen and her favourite food. Bella's kiss at the sight before her had me wanting more but she needed to eat so I unwillingly pulled away.

The small conversation we made told us a lot about each other and had us laughing till our sides hurt while faux sword-fighting with our forks.

While washing the dishes, I was surprised to feel her arms wrap around my waist and practically stunned when Bella kissed the back of my neck. She was thanking me when I should have been thanking her for such an amazing time.

When I turned around to face her I saw that she was looking for something and whatever it was she found, I was rewarded by one of her passionate kisses. Our lips melted against each other and we sighed at the feeling. I ran my tongue along her lips and she gladly took me in.

Bella started walking backwards, our mouths still joined until her back hit the counter where she quickly raised herself up. Our kiss remained unbroken as she brought me to stand between her legs and her hands began fumbling with opening my jeans.

I pulled away from her kiss and looked into her eyes where it clearly showed that she wanted me. Nevertheless, I asked, "Bella, are you sure?"

Her eyes held mine for a couple seconds longer and she nodded. "Yes, Edward, please."

I nodded back and took her lips again, this time plunging my tongue into her mouth at once. She responded eagerly, massaging my tongue with her in a way that made my eyes roll back into my head. She tugged at the ends of my shirt and brought it over my head while I did the same. Bella kissed her way up my jaw and settled on my earlobe where she let out a breath that made me shiver.

My hands made quick work of her bra and I grabbed her breasted as soon as they were free. They fit perfectly in each of my hands while I kissed her again, massaging her breasts and running my thumb over her peaks. Bella moaned into my mouth with each pass and bit my bottom lip in such a way that was sexy seductive.

Her hands finally got my button loose and she slipped my jeans with boxers off my hips and used her legs to guide them down to my knees. I did the same with her pants, gently lifting her off the counter for a second so I can bring them down. Her kiss grew feverish before she pulled away whispering, "Wait."

Bella stretched to one of the near overhead cabinets which looked like where they kept most of their first aid things. She reached in and extracted a box on condoms which looked like the ones that we used that weekend. She quickly ripped the wrapper off one and rolled in onto me after rubbing the palm of her hand on my tip. Watching her delicate hands at their task, I tugged her chin up where I took her lips once more.

Her hands guided me to her entrance where I slowly entered. I broke away from the kiss in order to give her a chance to catch her breath if needed. When successfully in her, she gave me a lazy smile and rested her forehead on mine. She still felt perfect around me.

My movements were slow, careful, and desperate not to hurt her. Her legs get tighter around my hips as she brings me deeper in her, in need of more friction. I quicken my thrusts as she leans back on her elbows, never taking her off of mine. Her breasts thrust up with every one of my stroke and I could not help leaning down and taking one into my mouth.

I roll my tongue over her peak, eliciting a deep moan from Bella beneath me. She rose off her elbows which makes me bring my forehead up to hers. Bella's mouth found my ear where she whispered, "Edward, more."

Those two words unravel me and I let loose. My thrusts come deeper, harder and quicker while my thumb reaches between us to massage her clit. Our moans become one and not too soon after we gain our climaxes.

When our breathing calms down, I carefully pull out of Bella and kiss her. After I discard of the condom and fix my jeans I make my way over to Bella and clean her up. I pull her pants back up while she puts her shirt back on.

I lift her off the counter and carry her in my arms until I sit on the sofa, keeping her on my lap. I rest my head on her shoulder while she runs her one hand through my hair and another on my bare chest.

"I think we're going to be late for our 2 o' clock class." She said which immediately has us in a fit of laughter.

"I think we can afford to miss one class today." I eventually reply.

We continue to sit in a peaceful and comfortable silence with our hands just roaming the other's body. This was different and it was not just because of Tanya's absence. Something shifted in whatever Bella and I shared, and I was looking forward to seeing what that meant.

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	8. Acknowledge

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

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**BPOV**

Edward and I sat in comfortable silence for almost an hour until it was broken by a soft snore. I glanced sideways to my shoulder to see a darling sleeping Edward. His jaw was slack and his gorgeous eyes were hidden but in that moment, where he looked so vulnerable and at peace, I realised that he never looked more beautiful.

I took a few minutes to admire his pale face gloriously illuminated by the fluorescent lights, his full lips and his bronze locks before sleep crept upon me as well. I quickly set an alarm on my cell phone for an hour and a half, a decent naptime for us both, and settled my head lightly on his revelling in the intimacy I felt between us.

~*~

My alarm was cut short before having the full effect on my system. However, the shifting I felt beneath me was enough to bring me out of the lingering sleep. I awoke to find myself on top of Edward, my head on his bare chest. I glanced up to find him staring down at me with a small grin, "Good morning, sleeping beauty." He greeted although the mid-afternoon sun shone outside.

I sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "Good morning. How did we--?"

"I woke up about an hour ago; I could not even remember falling asleep. I noticed your sleeping position could not be very comfortable so I tried to move you. Your grip on me was pretty tight so I just leaned back and brought you with me. I hope that was okay, didn't want you to wake up with any neck pain." Edward explained.

I felt my face go warm and tilted my head down. Even my subconscious would not let him go. I eventually brought myself to look at him. "Sorry about that."

His sudden quiet laugh made my heart jump. "Bella, its okay, really. Don't worry about it; I was back asleep in no time after that until your alarm went off."

Relieved was too small a word to describe my feelings then. I was also glad that he did not think I was some freak who had a death grip while she slept.

"Right, the alarm. I wasn't sure if you had any more classes for the day that you would want to get to."

"Nope, no more classes. Mondays are usually pretty slow for me and at the risk of sounding like a pseudo-stalker; I assume that it is the same for you as well. We do have most of our classes together."

I laughed at the thought of Edward ever being a stalker as an image of him dressed all in black making sure he's not seen by the object of his affections. "Edward, you are the furthest thing away from a stalker, ever. You have nothing to worry about. But yes, you are right; Mondays are slow for me as well."

His crooked smile graced his features as he said, "Well then, seeing as how we had a slower day than usual, would you do me the pleasure of trying to decipher our missed lecture through online notes?"

I had to think about that for a second. Edward always seemed to have an aptitude for everything that came his way where it had to take me several long tries to get something right. It was then that I looked at it as an opportunity – seeing how Edward did things could help me in the long run – study-wise anyway.

"That sounds like a great idea." I admitted, which it really was. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower before we get started though?"

"No, of course not. Go. I'll set things up." He granted.

I nodded and pressed my lips to his before leaving for the bathroom. I found myself thinking once more about Edward and how he seemed too good to be true. My feelings for him were growing and it was not because of his delicious food or the amazing sex, but it was everything that I knew about him so far. The love he had for his family, his caring nature and an underlying need to always be there for people; to protect.

Before I knew it, I was back in the living room. I walked over to Edward, still on the sofa, and held his hand in mine leading him to the shower.

Once in the bathroom I kissed him hungrily, enjoying the response I got from him. Edward's hands skirted across the hem of my t-shirt, lightly brushing my skin before he raised the shirt above my head. I quickly undid his jeans while he did the same to me.

We stepped into the shower, melting into each other's arms under the cool spray of water cascading down on us. Our movements slowed considerably, the kisses were savoured and our hands explored without hesitation or fear. Edward broke our sensual kiss as he trailed his lips down my neck, his tongue licking the water which collected on my skin leaving me with a brilliant sensation of warm and cool.

He lightly nipped at my breasts before continuing his trail down to my bellybutton. He licked around it before dipping his tongue in and sucked. I gasped at the sensation while bringing my hands to his hair, giving it a slight tug.

Edward, now on his knees, looked up at me with his stunning green eyes while he lifted my leg to rest on his shoulder. His eyes never left mine as he leaned in and licked the length of me. He inserted two fingers into me, never ceasing his mouth's movements effectively reducing me to moans of pleasure.

Our eye contact never broke making the experience all the more intense. I felt my inner muscles tighten as he started to pump his fingers faster and the moment he sucked on my clit, my release took me over. Edward licked me once more before bringing himself up and taking my lips with his, the taste of me still on his mouth.

He broke away and whispered against my lips, "Bella, may I please wash you?"

Overwhelmed and not trusting my voice, I nodded my approval. He retrieved my strawberry body wash and dispensed it onto my loofah. Edward gently placed kisses the length of arms before lightly scrubbing me. He repeated his movement on my legs, stomach and back until he was sure he cleaned every inch of me. Edward joined me under the flow of the shower and glided his hands over my body, making sure that nothing was left behind.

I smiled shyly and said, "Thank you." No other words seemed appropriate. He simply smiled back and slid open the door. My face fell as I looked to him.

"Edward… I wanted to do the same to you." I placed my hand above his which was still on the door and slid it back shut. "Please."

He seemed to be conflicted as he looked at me, seemingly searching for something and eventually nodding, just as I had.

I smiled and kissed him, a quiet thank you for letting me do this. Before I got started, I dropped to my knees. Shock crossed Edward's features before I took his already hard cock into my mouth. My brown eyes held his as licked the length of him and took him into my mouth, relaxing my throat so he could go deeper. When I felt him hit the back of my throat, Edward let out a low groan.

I let my teeth graze him softly as pulled back with a low suction. My tongue encircled his tip, collecting the little moisture which started to accumulate. My hand went lower to massage his balls while increasing the suction on his shaft. I felt Edward's hand in my hair, guiding me to where he wanted.

My movements increased while I never allowed his gaze to leave mine, just as before. I felt him grow bigger and stiffen in my mouth. Edward tugged at my hair, "Bella, I'm going to come." I ignored him and let him hit the back of my throat once more causing him to release into my mouth. I swallowed every drop which tasted like sweet lemons and brought myself up to his lips, letting him taste himself as he had let me taste.

"Bella, you didn't need to do that." He whispered.

"I know. I wanted to. Now, we need to get you cleaned up, you dirty boy." I said while he laughed.

Edward allowed me to mimic him once more as I kissed the length of his arms, his stomach and his back before cleaning him.

When we exited the shower the tips of our fingers were like prunes but it was all worth it for the best shower ever.

*********

**EPOV**

After our shower I dried off Bella and then myself and I was happy that there were no awkward moments between us while we got dressed.

The shower was one of the best opportunities I got to really worship Bella. Her body was exquisite and she was the most beautiful person I ever met. The more I got to know about her, the more I liked her, even if she had some weird taste in music.

I did not expect her to want to do the same for me in the shower, I thought of it as my time to somehow convey how I felt. I was ready to tell her no but her eyes held that she truly wanted to do it, and it would have killed me to tell her no.

Bella's actions were the same as mine - slow and calculated. I was beyond belief when she refused to let up despite my warning as most girls gag at the mere thought of swallowing. Of course, this was Bella, which meant that she was in a league of her own.

We got settled on the floor with our books and laptops scattered across the coffee table going through the philosophy lecture at first which Bella seemed thoroughly interested in. She admitted later that it had to be her favourite class.

Two hours later we were both getting pretty hungry so I decided to make something once again. Bella held my legs down as I was about to make my way into the kitchen.

"No way! Not this time. This time, I cook." She said.

"You cook? Can I at least help then?"

"Yes, I cook. Just not today."

"Then how are—, " I began to ask, confused.

It was then that Bella picked up the phone and waved it at me. "It's called takeout, Edward." She laughed. "How about Chinese?"

I could not help laughing along with her. "Ah, yes. The ancient art of lo-mein dialling." I joked. "Chinese sounds great."

Twenty minutes later our food was delivered and Bella tore me one when I paid. I promised her my fortune cookie in an attempt to keep my head and my body together. Thankfully, she accepted.

"Hey," Bella said after she finished her meal and opened her fortune cookie, "my cookie says 'Eat something you never tried before', so hand over some of that lemon chicken."

I laughed and quirked an eyebrow. "Is that some lame attempt at getting more food?"

"No, it isn't!" she defended while handing over her fortune. "See? It really did say that."

I had to concede not only because her fortune was right, but because of how cute she looked when I moved to share my chicken.

Bella handed me my cookie. "Here, open yours."

"Will my head and body be happy together if I do?"

"You can have your fortune, I just want the cookie."

I snapped the cookie in half and unravelled the thin strip of paper – _The one you love is closer than you think._

I looked up at Bella to see her staring at me curiously. Stupid fortune cookie, tell me something I don't know.

"Well? What does it say?" Bella asked impatiently.

I could not let her know, the day was going well and I did not want to ruin it. "It says 'love thy neighbour, just don't get caught.' That shouldn't be hard, my neighbour is a guy."

Bella burst out in a fit of laughter on the floor and I found myself laughing with her despite my lie because Bella's laugh was infectious. She recovered a few minutes after saying, "I love it when we get the funny ones."

It was then that the door opened and Tanya walked in.

"What's the joke?" she asked as she heard Bella still laughing. When she entered the living room and saw me there her face lit up. "Edward! What are you doing here?"

Bella and I gestured at the disaster of the coffee table and sulked. "Homework."

Tanya laughed and walked over to Bella, kissing her on the lips before approaching me and doing the same. "Aw…you poor babies."

"Actually it was not all that bad for once, Tanya. Apparently it's true when people say that two heads are better than one." Bella said.

"It helps if one of those heads is Bella's, of course. She has a distinct view of things." I complimented.

Bella's face turned pink and Tanya grinned. "Yes, she does. Well, I'm glad that you kept her company today, Edward."

"It really was no problem." I admitted. I got up and stretched after some time on the floor. "Well, then, I should be going. I'm late for something and my apartment is a while away."

Truthfully, now that Tanya was home from her long day, I was sure that she would want some time with Bella. It was still a mystery where we stood after today and Tanya's presence was not going to change that.

"Now? I just got home, stay a bit."

"Maybe another time, Tanya. I'm sorry." I said as I started to gather my things.

Tanya turned to ask Bella something quietly before addressing me again. "What about this weekend?" she asked while walking over to me. Tanya traced her finger across my chest and whispered, "Maybe we can throw in a bit of last weekend into the mix."

At this point, I was not sure if I could be with both Tanya and Bella again; my feelings for Bella was growing and it would feel wrong this time around.

"Can I tell you or Bella tomorrow? I want to check my schedule, make sure I'm free." I said while looking over Tanya's head at Bella. She looked worried and disappointed but I was afraid of doing anything with Tanya here.

"Of course. Take your time sweetheart." Tanya allowed. She walked away from me and headed to their bedroom. "I'm beat, I'm going to take a shower, Bella." As she left the two of us alone in the room.

All my things were packed as I walked over to Bella's side. I took her hands in mine and rested my forehead on hers. Leaving her now after a day in a bubble seemed to be so hard. I brought my lips to hers, softly and sweetly. I was lost and needed to let her know.

I pulled back and whispered against her lips, "This weekend is up to you. Tell me what you want and I'll do it." I pressed my lips to hers once more and stepped back. "Think about it first."

I leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I gathered my things and walked to the door. Bella stood still, a distant look on her face when I looked back as I opened the door. I stared at her seconds longer and forced myself to leave.

It was not fair of me to ask Bella to decide this but if it were up to me, I would say no. I needed to know what Bella was thinking and what she wanted before I made a wrong decision.

It would not be long till I told Bella of my feelings but I first needed to know whether I was in this alone or if I truly had Bella at my side.

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Oh, Edward...

I find myself hating reality when I don't get to write.

Thanks again for the reviews.

Keep em coming.


	9. Exposed

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

************

**BPOV**

Watching Edward leave this time around was more difficult than it was before. Today was the real turn in whatever it was that we shared. After hours of just talking with him, I started to like him and I could see out friendship growing. And after the hours of lovemaking, the spark which I first felt now turned into a raging fire.

The sound of Tanya starting her shower forced me to finally move from my stance. I began to clean up the empty boxes from the coffee table when I came upon a strip of paper. Before Tanya returned home Edward and I was imagining the possibility of him seducing his neighbour, her entrance however, sent a chill down my spine. What would she say to me being alone with Edward?

I realised that even though me and Tanya had a special relationship she could not possibly object to having Edward in our apartment. Soon, whatever fear or excuse I had was put out of my mind as Tanya seemed almost giddy to find Edward here this late. She greeted him and thanked him for staying with me before asking me quietly if I extended an invitation for a repeat of last weekend.

After this afternoon I was not sure what to think about another evening with both Edward and Tanya. I was sure as hell, however, that being with them both will have me conflicted through the entire night. The thought of Tanya in Edward's embrace struck something in me that made my chest hurt. When Tanya approached him with the question he looked over her head at me the same moment I felt the pang in my chest and I wondered if it showed on my face.

When Tanya left, Edward walked over and kissed me sweetly, telling me that I would have to decide what to do this weekend. He seemed conflicted the same way I did, unable to make a decision and thinking I would be able to. He told me to think about it, which I would. I needed time for this because telling him no would probably hurt him and saying yes would definitely hurt me.

I picked up Edward's fortune – _The one you love is closer than you think._

What? He lied. The fortune's words rang in my ears… why wouldn't Edward want to tell me what it really said? I thought about it for a second and came to the conclusion that if this was my fortune, I would have said the same thing. Our day was going extraordinary and this fortune would have made things just a bit awkward. Did this mean that Edward was possibly feeling the same way I did?

The flow of water stopped in the shower and I hastily shoved the fortune in my pocket and continued cleaning up the mess Edward and I left behind. I tossed the boxes and was washing my hands when I felt Tanya's warm arms curl around my waist. She placed a kiss below my ear and rested her head on my shoulder.

"So how was your day?" she asked.

Tanya always asked how my day went and I never had reason to lie about my always boring day before today. "It was fine. Nothing really new."

She laughed quietly. "Edward Cullen coming over, cooking you lunch, studying with you and having Chinese takeout with him is nothing new? Have you been hiding something from me?"

I pulled away from her embrace and looked her in the eye. "He came over last weekend and made us breakfast so I don't think about it as anything new. The only thing that may be new is that I now have a new study buddy." I said monotone.

"Calm down, Bella. I was just kidding. I trust you, you know that." She said before pulling me into a hug. "I just wish that Edward could have stayed a bit longer, after the day I would have loved him tonight."

I managed a weak laugh. "Yeah… I wish he did too." I said longingly. After Tanya got home it seemed that all he wanted to do was get out of the apartment.

"Well I hope he decides to come over this weekend." Tanya said as she started to make her way to our bedroom.

It was still strange for me to hear Tanya carry on about one of her exploits so soon and so often. It seemed that she really did like Edward and if I told him to say no, I may be hurting them both. Tanya emerged from our room dressed for bed. She sat next to me on the sofa and ran her hands through my hair.

"You look down, babe. How about we watch a movie?" she asked.

I sighed, not really wanting to watch a movie but it was too early to head to bed. "Sure, why not?"

Tanya decided the movie and got it set up while I went ahead and got the popcorn. We met back at the couch and settled in. Seconds after I was greeted with the title on the screen: 'The Princess Bride'.

"Surprise." Tanya whispered and kissed me on the cheek.

I simply nodded to her, unable to vocalise anything. The only thought that ran through my head was Edward's earlier impression of Inigo Montoya. I watched the movie as I normally did; laughed and gasped in the right places even though I could mouth the lines along with the actors all the while thinking of Edward. This man was hazardous to my mental state.

When the movie finished Tanya and I went to bed quietly. I could not find it in me to talk that night what with Edward and the imminent decision. I turned on my side, my usual sleeping position while Tanya pressed herself into my back and rested one hand across my waist. She kissed the back of my night and bid me goodnight, leaving me to my thoughts in the dark.

Edward left me with his decision simply because he was not able to make it for himself. He lied about his fortune in a way that made me think that he had feelings for me, the way mine were growing for him. However, Tanya liked Edward; whether as a friend, someone to sleep with or maybe even something more I could not be sure, but she did like him.

Telling Edward to accept Tanya's proposal would make her happy, I was not sure what Edward would feel but I knew I would be distraught. Making him reject it would sadden the woman at my side, fill me with guilt, and I still had no idea what Edward would feel. His fortune continued to ring in my ears, his last kiss still burned on my lips and the feeling of his hands on my body still lingered.

I eventually fell into a restless sleep somewhat comforted by the thought that I had no lectured with Edward tomorrow which would leave me with another day to ponder this decision.

~*~

The following morning was uneventful. Two tedious lectures in a row and a couple hours in a corner in the library had my head swimming with information I knew I would not retain because of the situation I was in. Damn Edward for putting me through this.

My stomach growled and I knew I avoided lunch too long. As I made my way to the cafeteria surrounded by lecture halls and students I heard a voice call out, "Bella, wait."

My feet immediately stopped their movements because of the voice which I dreamt of last night called out at me when I least expected it. I turned around to a spectacular sight of Edward walking quickly towards me - his dark jeans, navy blue sweater and black coat made him look pale, but not in the sickly way. As he got closer my heart thumped faster, I could now see his brilliant green eyes and a hint of pink in his cheeks.

"Hello." He said once he was finally at my side.

"Hi."

"I'm sorry about leaving so quickly last night. I assumed that Tanya would want some privacy." He explained.

I continued walking to the cafeteria, Edward still at my side. "Quite the opposite actually. She hoped that you would have stayed longer."

"Yes, well…" he faltered. Edward held my hand, stopping my movements once more and bringing me to face him. "Bella, have you thought about this weekend? I know it's soon but I would really like to know you think."

My thoughts… my thoughts still wondered why he left the decision to me. A decision I could not properly make without knowing what he felt. I willed myself to ask him the question as it may be the only time I could.

"Edward, do you have feelings for me?"

***********

**EPOV**

Fuck. She wanted to know how I felt about her. I should have seen this coming the second I left it up to her last night. I got home thinking how could I have let her shoulder this.

The second I got home I called Alice. Even though she was two years younger than me, her advice made her seem older than her years, wiser. It was not yet 10pm, still early for a college student. She picked up on the first ring.

"Edward, bro! Miss me already?" she greeted me cheerily.

"Alice, I always miss you." I said, because even though we had our frequent dinners, I still missed my siblings.

"I know." She said, practically hearing her smile over the phone. "What's up?"

"I need help, Alice."

"Whoa. Ok, anything."

"It's Bella. I like her."

"No shit, Sherlock. That wasn't much of a surprise. Although I must say, it does sound much deeper than just liking her."

"You're right, as usual." I joked before moving on. "I'm falling in love with her." I confessed.

"That's great, Edward, but where do I come in here?" she asked, surprisingly calm.

"It's complicated for me and Bella. Alice, I can't tell you everything here but I can tell you that there is someone else in her life. It's her best friend, she means so much to Bella, but I want it to just be us."

Alice sighed on the other end. "Have you told her how you feel?"

"No, isn't it too soon?" I asked.

"How long have you felt this way about her, Edward?"

"Well, I have always liked her. I always noticed her in classes, around the campus. But now that we talk and spend so much time together…" I drifted off, hoping Alice would understand.

"Edward, if you don't tell her how you feel how do you expect things to progress? If Bella knows how you feel, do you not think that it would make things easier with her best friend?"

"Okay, but Alice--,"

"But nothing, Edward. If this is her best friend, then she would understand. It's not like she's going to be a rejected lover." Alice said as she cut me across.

I laughed uneasily. "You're right, Alice."

"As usual." She laughed. "Now, I have 1500 more words in an assignment due tomorrow so I have to go now, bro. Tell Bella tomorrow before you chicken out."

"I will. Thanks Alice."

"Anytime, Ed." She blew a kiss through the phone and hang up.

It seemed easy when I thought about it that night, find Bella, and tell her the truth. But now, being face to face with her, drowning in her eyes, I struggled to find the words.

I looked around and pulled Bella into one of the smaller, empty lecture halls along the corridor. Once inside, I slid her bag off her shoulder and rested it on the nearby desks. Her hair was in a messy bun but she still looked beautiful. My hands undid the bun and my fingers ran through her brown locks, smooth and soft.

I ran my hands down her arms until her hands were in mine. I brought them both to my lips and kissed them. Moving both of her hands into one of my own, I allowed my free hand to rest on her cheek as I brought myself closer. Consumed by her deep eyes, I would bare myself to her without fear.

"I'm falling in love with you, Bella." I whispered.

She let out a breath, her eyes still locked onto mine. I tried to pour all of my feelings towards her in my gaze, praying that she would believe me. The silence endured so I continued.

"Bella, I have always liked you. Seeing you in my classes throughout the week would be one of the highlights of my days. Last weekend simply strengthened what I already felt. You are the only reason I agreed to Tanya's arrangement in the first place. You are beautiful and everything that is the definition of perfect." I said. "Well, except your taste in music, but we can work on that."

She laughed a sad laugh. Her eyes were wet and tears were threatening to brim over. I ran my thumb over her lips, slowly leaned in and placed a soft kisses from her forehead to her lips. Bella kept still from my kisses, letting her tears flow. When my lips finally made it to hers they were already wet from the tears. I licked the moisture away before pressing my lips a little more firmly to hers.

Bella gasped quietly and returned my kiss with fervour. Her hands left my own and found their way to my hair, drawing me closer while my hands at her hips did the same. Our kiss exposed our passion, need, desire and growing love to one another without fear.

Desperate for air, I reluctantly broke away and rested my forehead on Bella's. Our quick breaths mingled with each others until they slowed. Bella brought her hands to my chest and kept moving up until she reached the sides of my face.

"I think I'm falling in love with you, too." She said simply before bringing me close to press her lips to mine. It was quick and sweet, needing nothing else. I drew my arms around her, bringing her closer to me. Bella breathed me in when her head rested comfortably on my chest making me shiver.

We stood in silence, enjoying being in each other's arms. Suddenly, a distant grumble sounded and Bella pulled away embarrassed. It took me a while to remember that she was indeed walking to the cafeteria.

"Hungry?" I asked.

She nodded, her face flushed and eyes focused on the floor. I tugged her chin up so her eyes met mine. I smiled and kissed her softly. I pulled away and gathered her things, leading us out of the hall.

"Come on, my place is about a half an hour away. I'll whip you up something decent."

Being Bella, she complained immediately. "Edward, cafeteria food is not as horrible as you make it out to be."

I laughed. "I know it isn't. I'm just saying that my food's better."

She conceded quickly and looped her elbow around mine. "I'll be the judge of that."

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	10. Discover

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

***********

**EPOV**

Silence, but a comfortable silence. I was walking Bella across the quad to get my car in the student parking lot. I did not know about Bella, but I was back in the happy bubble that we were in yesterday. When I looked down at her walking at my side she had a distant happy look on her face which mirrored someone who looked like they just overcame a huge hurdle in their lives. I just confessed to Bella that I was in love with her but I still did not really know her.

When we reached my car I heard a small gasp escape from Bella.

"This is your car?"

I looked over my Volvo S60R with sad eyes. I loved my car. My parents bought it as a present for my birthday last year when I moved out of the dorms. I supposed it was not exactly what a 21 year old man would drive but it was my car.

"Yes, it is actually. Is there something wrong?"

Bella laughed when she saw my sad face and quickly shook her head. "No, it's perfect. It suits you actually."

I opened the passenger door for her to enter before going to my own seat. "Suits me? Care to elaborate?"

I started the engine and pulled out of my spot. "Yeah, it suits you. Most people say that a car is the reflection of the owner's personality. That is exactly what you have with your car. It's comfortable, you feel safe in it and it's just as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside." Bella said.

Thanking God silently for letting a light change ahead of us, I looked over to Bella and rested my hand on her cheek before leaning to press my lips softly on hers. When I pulled away, I let my forehead rest on hers for a while and whispered, "Thank you." The car behind us honked its horn at us to signal that the light changed once more.

While I stared ahead, I felt Bella's hand brushed mine before she made to move it away. Quickly, but as not to startle her, I reached back for her hand and brought it to my lips before intertwining our fingers and bringing it to rest between our seats.

"You know," I started, "the way you described the relationship I had with my car sounded more like something you would have with a car of your own."

Bella's musical laughter filled the car at that. "Actually, my truck back home screams the exact opposite. She's a huge '53 Chevy, loud and definitely stands out in a crowd."

I thought about what she said before I replied. "I know that model… and I think you're wrong. I think there's one quality that you and your truck have in common."

She rolled her eyes and looked at me sceptically. "Really? And what would that be?"

I took my eyes off the road long enough to truly convey my answer. "You both leave a lasting impression. Once you see it, you'll never forget it."

Bella took in a sharp breath and continued to look at me. A couple minutes of silence later I began to somewhat regret my comment when I felt Bella pinch my forearm rather viciously for someone so small.

"Ow! What was that for?" I protested.

"I'm sorry. There's still a small part of me that thinks you are just too good to be true." Bella explained as she leaned across the space between us and gave me a kiss on my cheek, letting her lips linger there before she moved away.

"Oh, Bella. I think of you the same way… but you don't see me pinching you." I said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked when my car was once again filled with her laugh.

Ten minutes and countless changes on the satellite radio between me and Bella later, I finally pulled into the parking lot of my small apartment building. It was modelled after a Queen Anne Victorian structure and stood out with its bold terracotta and white exterior. My apartment was on the third floor with only two other rooms. The entire building only housed ten apartments on three floors. It was quiet and exactly what I needed when I decided to move out from the dorms.

I stepped out of the car and hurried over to Bella's side before she could exit herself. I wanted to be a perfect gentleman because she deserved nothing less. I led Bella into the building holding her hand. As we climbed the stairs, she quietly inquired, "Edward, why did you decide to move out from the dorms?"

Thinking back on it now, there was really only one reason why I bothered to move in the first place. "To get away from the hazardous social environment. My hall always hosted beer keg parties one after another and soon got tiring. I studied successfully in the library but the parties still raged when I wanted to get some sleep. I sound like an old man walking with a cane, don't I?"

Bella brought her arm around my waist and rested her head just below my shoulder. "No, you don't, but you do realise that that's part of being in college."

I laughed. "Yes, I know. I guess I should have mention I only moved here four months ago. I stayed in the dorms for two years under the encouragement of my brother and because I knew that it was really a once in a lifetime opportunity."

"Okay, well that's not so bad." She conceded.

Bella moved to say something else but did not when I stopped us in front of my door. I quickly opened the door and let her through before I stepped in. She stood dazed mere feet away from the door. Her head darted to every inch of the apartment.

"Wow. Edward, your place is amazing." She complimented as she started walking around the living room. Bella guided her fingertips along the brown leather sofa before making her way to the small dining room and admiring the stained glass table there.

"Thank you, although I can't take credit for it. My mother's as a flair for decorating and interior design so she put her skill to work when I decided to move here. I will pass along the compliments though." I said.

Bella moved towards the glass doors which lead to the small balcony overlooking the nearby park. She did not make a move to go out but instead looked through the door where her face was illuminated with the dull sunlight. The sight took my breath away as I made my way over to her. I wrapped my arms around her waist, ran my nose along her neck inhaling her scent and rested my chin on her small shoulder.

I felt the heat rise up her skin and settled in her cheeks while she blushed. Bella turned her face towards me and smiled. Unable to hold back any longer I took her lips to mine, sweetly at first and deepened it seconds after. I slipped my tongue into her warm mouth and massaged her tongue with mine. I groaned into the kiss at the sensation and Bella's hands found their way to my hair. She tugged slightly sending a shot of warmth immediately between my legs. I let my hands travel down her sides tracing circles with my thumbs until I reached lower to grab her ass, lifting her up so that she can wrap her legs around my waist.

Our kiss remained unbroken while I made my way clumsily to the sofa. I sat down so that Bella would be straddling me; her breasts were pushed into my chest and I could feel the warmth emanating between her legs. I made the mistake of slightly shifting under her when I felt myself immediately come into contact right between her legs. We both gasped into each other's mouths but held still and continued our assault with our mouths.

I reached between our bodies and took Bella's breasts into my hands without ceremony or notice. I started to palm them earnestly through her clothes and felt her peaks grow hard under my touch. Soon after, Bella started to rock her hips on mine, grounding herself on my steel hard erection. Her hands in my hair were still tugging in the most erotic way while she continued her onslaught on my lap.

*********

**BPOV**

Holy fuck. I was going to come into my jeans if this did not stop soon but neither of us made any move or indication of that feeling. When I woke up this morning I was not even prepared to meet Edward that day, far less imagining this would be happening.

Less than an hour ago Edward gracefully told me that he was falling in love with me. All those times I thought that no one noticed me, that I was just to be another hidden face in the crowds, Edward was always there… his words continually struck the chords of my heart and before I knew it, I was confessing my feelings to him as well.

I was more than horrified when my stomach growled in front of him but not totally surprised when he offered once again to cook a meal for me. He was spoiling me and he knew it, after all, whoever had a taste of Edward would definitely want more, pun fucking intended.

His apartment was gorgeous; there was no other word for it. It was bigger than I lived in right now and exquisitely decorated by his mother. The colours were vibrant when I honestly expected him to be an all-beige person. The living room alone was filled with light blues and dark reds, even some green and yellow. Of course his apartment was not what was turning me on right now.

I ground my hips deep and long into Edward's lap. My center was hitting exactly into the strained erection in his jeans and the added friction of our clothes still on us had my head spinning. Not long after, Edward seemed to give up some control and added small upward thrusts of his out. For the first time, I pulled away from our kiss desperate for breath. Leaning my forehead on his, I saw that his eyes were closed and I felt his forehead wrinkled under mine. Moving my lips to his ear, I whispered, "Edward, look at me." because I needed more than ever to lose myself in his stunning green orbs.

I pulled back so I could look into his face and he can look into mine. Our movements came faster as I felt myself teetering on the edge. Edward's breaths came faster as his thrusts grew more determined. I was already there but felt the need to come together with Edward. Before I could make a move, Edward's eyes turned darker and I saw that he was there as well. I drew myself closer to him once again and took his lips into mine before saying, "Please, Come with me."

At my words, Edward thrusted once more into me and moaned as he came. I held out long enough to see how elegant his face looked while experiencing his pleasure and followed soon after throwing my head back and uttering a small cry. I fell against his chest and his arms wrapped around me, clinging me tightly to him. Our breaths slowed as we sat in silence letting our fingers roam the other's bodies.

After unknown time had passed, not only did my stomach growl and embarrass me again, but so did Edward's. We looked at each other and an unstoppable fit of giggles escaped us.

Edward was the first to calm down and moved one of his hands to pat my stomach. "Okay, okay. We're going to feed you."

I fell once more into laughter at his gesture as we made to get off the couch and into the kitchen. His kitchen was opened to the rest of the apartment. All of Edward's appliances were stainless steel and his island's counter was black granite. Not wanting him to go through much trouble for a simple lunch I proposed something simple.

"How about some spaghetti? It's been a while since I've had decent spaghetti and meatballs."

Sure enough, he complied. "That sounds great." He said as he moved around the kitchen gathering the appropriate ingredients.

"Can I help this time?" I asked, making sure to use my sad puppy dog eyes this time.

He laughed when he turned to see it and said, "Sure, of course. It's really only fair that the person with the Italian name gets to have a helping hand with Italian food."

As the pasta cooked, Edward and I worked together on the marinara and meatballs. Forty-five minutes later and surprisingly no injuries to me, we were sitting at his small stained glass table with our steaming plates of pasta.

I noticed that while eating, a concerned and worrying expression grew on Edward's face. I was just about to ask him about him when he suddenly blurted out what had been troubling him.

"What are you going to tell Tanya?" he asked almost sadly.

I felt my gaze shift down where I began to absentmindedly play with my food. I realised that I had not thought about what this revelation would do my relationship with Tanya.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "She is my best friend and more as you know. I know that she would be happy for me, I can't see myself telling her about this." I glanced up to look at Edward to see his eyebrows knitted together, still worrisome. I reached for his hand around the table and took it in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll think of something."

He smiled at me and started picking at his pasta, just as I was doing to mine with our hands were still together on the table.

"Can I ask you something?" Edward asked.

"Anything." I would truly tell him anything at this point.

"How did you and Tanya become so close?"

Aah… I knew he would have asked that sooner or later. Frankly, I was glad that he asked now.

"Tanya and I were roommates since freshman year and since then we've requested to always be roomed together. The moment we met, we clicked, it was like finding your long lost twin or something like that. In my sophomore year I had a boyfriend, Jim." I looked into Edward's eyes to see how he was taking the story so far. He simply squeezed my hand and smiled in an effort to have me continue.

"He was great. Smart, exciting, funny. Everyone I knew loved to be around him. Our relationship continuously grew without fault and I began to think if it was possible that he was the one." I sighed and continued. "The weekend before our nine month anniversary I decided to do something special. I was going to make him dinner and surprise him at this apartment because he had a tough assignment that week and I wanted to have him relax." I took a deep breath and calmed myself at the memory of what happened next.

"When everything was organised, I laid myself out his bed in lingerie that Tanya helped me buy and waited for him to come home. When he did however, it was when he stumbled through the door kissing some other girl in his arms. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw me and I just ran out of there before he could tell me anything. Jim ran after me trying to explain that she was his old high school girlfriend who was in town for a visit and things just got out of control. I disregarded his pleas and continued to walk back to my room."

Edward rose off his seat and walked around the table to kneel in front of me. Taking my both hands into his, he brought them to his lips and kissed them sweetly. "You deserve so much better than that asshole, Bella."

I ran one of my hands through his hair and rested it on his cheek. "Thank you." He continued to kneel in front of me before asking me if I wanted to continue, I did.

"When Tanya got home that night, she told me the exact thing you just did. She also made a move to go over to his apartment and kick his ass but I stopped her before she reached the door. Tanya spent every night and weekend with me trying to make me feel better and reassuring me that it was nothing that I did to deserve this. After one very drunken night, we took comfort in each other. The morning after, we could not deny that there was something between us and we've been like that ever since."

Edward finally rose to his feet and bent down to kiss my lips. "Thank you for telling me. I know it was probably very difficult." I just nodded and smiled as he made his way back to his seat.

A couple minutes after he asked, "Has Tanya ever had a boyfriend while you two have been together?"

I also knew that this question was coming. I swallowed thickly and replied. "Yes, she has. It never really affected us. Our friendship never faltered but I guess you can say that our sex life was not vibrant anymore. Tanya felt guilty for that but I assured her that it was fine."

Edward nodded in understanding. "That's why you said that Tanya would be happy for you if you told her about us."

I nodded sadly. "Exactly. But there's one difference. Tanya likes you. I can't explain it, but she does. We've ever only had three other guys over the way you were, and she's never shown an interest in any of them as she's had you."

I felt a gentle squeeze once more on my hand and Edward's finger under my chin. He looked into my eyes fiercely when I finally looked up. "Bella, you are the one that I care about. I understand that Tanya is your best friend, and you love her, but I do not think that she would want you to be as conflicted as you are."

I felt tears welling in my eyes as I explained my thoughts. "I know, but after everything she's done for me, I feel sort of indebted to her. When she asked you to rejoin us this weekend I wanted nothing more than for you to tell her no. I could not imagine being with you both after I realised how I felt for you. I wanted you to say 'no' so I can be happy, but a part of me wanted you to say 'yes' so Tanya would be happy."

Edward walked over to my side once more and bid me to stand up. He placed both of his hands on my cheeks and pulled me into a deep kiss.

"Bella, you are an amazing and selfless person. Let's add that to my ongoing list of reasons I love you. I would do anything you say this weekend, whether you tell me 'yes' or 'no' I would do it." He said passionately.

I laughed sadly and rested my head against his chest, hearing his heart beating. We stood there for minutes before I finally spoke.

"Don't do it."

He pulled away and looked at me seriously, carefully and concerned.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." I answered, thrown off by how confident I sounded.

"What will you tell Tanya?"

"The truth. She doesn't deserve lies, especially not from me." I said.

Edward nodded and pulled me back into his embrace while I mentally prepared myself for what I would do later that evening. I decided that if Tanya truly was my best friend, she would be ecstatic, but I still wondered if I had it in me to tell her the truth.

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First of all, I'm deeply sorry for the late update - I blame the T20 cricket tournament.

Thank you to all my reviewers, especially those who review me every chapter, I love you!

Keep em coming, I love to know what you guys think.


	11. Loyalty

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

********

**BPOV**

Edward and I spent hours in his apartment just talking the way we did the day before. I learnt more about his 'eccentricities', to be polite. Edward's apartment was elegantly put together and nothing was ever out of place. He defended himself weakly by simply saying, "It's easier to find stuff when you know exactly where it is."

A few light and fun criticisms later and we were both stuffed with pasta, lying on the sofa together. We sat in comfortable silence wrapped in each other's arms. Edward ran his fingers down my arms and along my sides, repeating the circuit continuously. My head was on his chest, his heart thumping steadily under his shirt. I sighed and thought, 'this is what I could get used to.'

"My sister would love to meet you." Edward said, breaking the silence.

I tilted my head so I could look at him. "I would love to meet her as well."

Edward laughed and held me tighter. "Then I would be sure to arrange that sometime soon. I would like to actually go on a date with you before that happens though."

I quickly scoured my memories of the past couple days. It was true, we still have now officially been on a date. I laughed quietly at the realisation that we did everything in reverse order. Edward sat up so we would be eye level with each other. He looked at me with reverent eyes and held my hands in his. "Isabella Swan, would you do me the honour of accompanying me to dinner sometime?"

My laughter escaped me before I could rein it in but I was glad to see that Edward was laughing right along with me. "If that is what you wish, dear Sir." I replied through a fit of giggles.

We had one last laugh until Edward kissed my lips softly, my cheeks and rested his forehead on my own. "Thank you, Bella."

My breath caught as I revelled in the intimacy of our position. For the past few days, Edward did not pass up an opportunity to express his care and love. After the disaster of my previous relationship, Edward did everything that I would have never again expected from a man. The simple way he held my hand, brushed hair out of my face and even looked at me made my heart jump.

I was not yet able to open up as much as I would like to, but I was getting there. Edward deserved to have a girlfriend who could be as romantic, loving and caring as he is. We kept still on our position, foreheads together and breathing each other in. I pulled away and looked into his eyes, seeing what I always did – passion. His eyes burned with it and I would not fight that fire. Edward raised his hand to my face and trailed the back of the fingers from my temple to my jaw. The sensation brought goosebumps to my skin and I could not hold back any longer.

Leaning into his arms, I eagerly pressed my lips to his. Edward's lips were forever soft and sweet. I traced his bottom lip with my tongue and was awarded with the warm breath from his mouth. Edward lazily massaged my tongue with his while my hair was wrapped around his hand bringing me closer. My hands played with the hem of his shirt, lifting it up high enough to feel the warmth of his skin. He was the perfect combination of strength and tenderness. I leaned back onto the sofa, Edward now on top me. His mouth was now at my neck, covering my skin in warm and wet kisses.

The shrill ringing of my phone made us jump and our movements stopped. I groaned and reached across the coffee table to answer my phone.

"Hello?"

"Bella," Tanya said on the next line, "I'm getting takeout, want anything specific?"

Edward must have seen the worried look on my face because he sat up and pulled me up with him. I mouthed 'Tanya' to him and he held my hand, lending me some support. I cleared my throat before answering.

"No, nothing specific, just the usual."

"Okay, great. I should be home in forty minutes so keep that appetite."

I laughed so as not to sound out of place. "Sure. Don't forget they pack the fortune cookies."

Tanya's musical laughter rang through the phone, "Of course, Bella. See you soon."

"See you."

We hang up and I turned sadly to Edward. He understood without my saying anything as he rose to his feet and tugged my hand up to meet him. His arms wrapped around my waist tightly and he kissed the top of my head.

"I should get going." I whispered reluctantly.

Edward pulled away from our embrace and placed a butterfly kiss on my lips before getting our coats and his keys. He held my hand as we walked out of the apartment and down to the car. The weather was ghastly cold as the threatening thunder clouds rolled in the skies. When we entered the car, Edward put the heat up and faced most of the vents to me.

A sliver of sunshine managed to escape the dark clouds as I thought of the symbolism. I was about to more or less crush Tanya with the news of Edward and I, and I still did not think if I could go through with it. But the one sliver of light in the dark circumstance that faced me was Edward. My heart clenched as I thought about the lengths he would go to, being with me and Tanya again just so I would not have to hurt Tanya.

I looked out the window at the passing trees as Edward drove back to the University. Our hands were still entwined and resting on my lap. His thumb traced circles on the back of my hand as we sat in silence. We came a long way today and it felt as though we had been like this for years rather than mere days. I never experienced something this intense and to feel it for someone who mirrored my own feelings placed me on a high.

We were back at my apartment in less than a half an hour giving me at least fifteen minutes to prepare myself to face Tanya.

"Let me walk you to your room." Edward offered as he opened the door to let me out of the car.

"No, its okay. I need some time to get everything in order for Tanya."

"Oh. Bella, if there is any way that I can help make this easier, please, tell me." His face was full of concern and worry.

I placed my hand against his cheek in an effort to comfort him. "Edward, it's going to be okay. Tanya is my best friend and she loves me. This is going to be hard for her to hear, but she will okay knowing that I'm happy." I assured him, as well as trying to reassure myself in the process. A part of me needed to believe that what I said is true to make this easier.

Edward bowed his head and nodded. "Letting you go alone is going against every bone in my body right now, but if you are sure, then I respect your wishes."

"Thank you, Edward." I tugged his chin up so I could look into his emerald eyes once more. They were full of sadness which would hopefully be gone soon. I tiptoed to press my lips to his quickly and turned away without another word, walking back to my room.

I could feel Edward's eyes still on me as I walked away but I fought the urge to turn back; Tanya would be home soon and I needed to prepare. I got the dishes we usually ate in ready on the coffee table as well as some drinks. The silence in the room was deafening so I put on the television and just stared at the screen, not observing what was going on. I was not going to tell Tanya about this while we had dinner. Only if she asked, I would tell her outright.

The key turning in the lock alerted me to Tanya's arrival. I tried to look nonchalant at her entrance knowing that my face was an open book at times. It was not until she closed the door did I look in her direction and gave her the best smile I could muster at that point.

"Hi, babe." She greeted as she walked over to the sofa, gave me a quick kiss on the lips and began to empty the takeout boxes from the bags.

"Hi back." My voice seemed to falter between the two words and I started to panic. I was not expecting this to be easy, but I did not expect it to be this hard.

"How was your day? Library all day?" Tanya asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. I'm letting the workload pile up a bit too much."

"Don't worry about it, you'll get it all done before you know it."

"How was your day?"

"Argh, terrible. The lab was so crowded I could hardly make two moves without bumping into someone. Some idiot spilled some acid on my coat so now I have to get a new one, and the Professor wants us to complete an experiment which has a time period of a week in two days. Idiots." She scoffed.

Uh-oh. I tried to make her feel better by saying that everyone has an off day, this was probably one of hers.

"Thanks, Bella. I think some half hour sitcoms should help as well, I have yet to laugh today."

We ate through an episode of The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. Tanya did indeed laugh at every episode and I was glad to see that she was smiling again. I was still thinking of the best way to approach the topic before I determined that it was perhaps better to wait for the opportunity to be presented.

When the shows finished, we cleaned up the living room and was in the kitchen before Tanya asked me the question I'd been dreading.

"So, Bella, did you see Edward today?" She asked, leaning on her elbows on the island looking at me on the high chair.

"Yes, I did." I kept it short. I was still battling in my head.

"Well… what did he say about this weekend?" Tanya prodded.

Time to face the music. The entire thing would be easier if Tanya did not look so damned excited about what I would tell her. I was still torn between hurting Tanya and being with Edward. I frowned and shook my head. I was not prepared to go through with this. I couldn't.

"He said that he won't do it."

"What? Why? Did he say?" Tanya's face fell immediately and it ate me up inside for being the one responsible.

"No, he didn't. I guess he didn't enjoy it as much as we thought."

"Oh. Well that kinda sucks."

I looked down at my shoes so she would not see my face. "Yeah… it does. I'm sorry, Tanya. I knew how much you liked him."

"No, its okay, Bella. They come and go, don't they?" she tried to give a small smile but her sadness was still there.

I walked to her and put arm around her waist. "Don't worry, Tanya. There will be someone else."

She turned around to face me and enveloped me in a tight hug. "I know. Thank you." Tanya pulled away and kissed my cheek. "Now, time for bed?"

I nodded weakly. "You go ahead; I'll finish cleaning up and be there soon."

I watched as she walked back to our room before turning to the dishes. I could slap myself for chickening out like that but it just was not in my nature to hurt Tanya after her crap day. Even though she was somewhat hurt over the Edward's 'rejection', it was better than telling her about us. She would soon forget and get over whatever feelings she had for Edward and move on to someone she fancies again. I thought after that it would have been easier to tell her that Edward acquiesced to her invitation but I could not bring myself to letting that happen. It must have sounded possessive to a person, and it probably was but being with Tanya and Edward once again would be too much strain.

The dishes were finished, the kitchen was cleaned and Tanya was already in bed before I entered the bedroom. I took a long hot shower and crawled into bed with her. I desperately needed sleep at this point but my insides kept hammering at me. I hugged Tanya under the covers and whispered "I'm sorry" once more before sleep took her.

When he breathing came long and deep, I pulled away and turned my back to her. I could not be with her like this while I knew that I was lying to her. I then thought of Edward and what he would think when I told him that I did not tell Tanya about us. Knowing Edward though, he would not blame me and pawn it off on my 'caring' nature and inability to hurt anyone. I eventually fell into a restless sleep, letting my dreams turn into nightmares of Edward leaving me because of my cowardice and Tanya leaving because of my betrayal.

~*~

I awoke with the sun shining in my eyes. It was already 11am. I did not have any classes until one today. I sat up and looked over to Tanya's side. There was a note on her pillow,

_Bella,_

_I know you don't have early classes today so I let you sleep in. You seem troubled last night and this morning when I woke. You looked tired even in your sleep so I did not have it in me to wake you up as I usually do._

_Take care of yourself today and I'll see you later._

_Love,_

_T._

I groaned out loud. She heard my fussing about my dreams. Tanya would now ask me about it and want to help in whatever way she could. I freshened up and ate breakfast while packing what I needed for my classes today. I had no classes with Edward today either and I hoped that I would not encounter him in any lonesome corridors again.

My entire day passed by in a daze. Lectures seemed blurred together and whatever I studied in the library did not stick. I chanced the walk to the cafeteria for lunch hoping that I would not see Edward. Thankfully, I got there without any hassle but after being spoiled by lunch with Edward, the cafeteria food was severely lacking something.

I was dragging my feet back to the apartment when my phone beeped with an incoming message.

**Bella, I miss you. I hope everything went as you hoped with Tanya. Please get back to me as soon as you can. – Edward.**

As much as I wanted to ignore the message, I knew it would just worry him more. I quickly sent him a reply.

**Tell you about it when I see you. I miss you, too.**

I would eventually see him again tomorrow at one of my lectures and thanked God that I would have more time to prepare myself for Edward than I did with Tanya.

When I opened the door I heard voices coming from the living room.

"Tanya?" I called.

Tanya came rushing to the doorway with a smile on her face. "Bella! Come meet a friend."

I was thoroughly confused at this point. Tanya usually bounced back pretty well from disappointments but this was the fastest I ever noticed the transition. As she led me to the living room and I was struck with the sight of her friend on the sofa, I understood.

"Bella, this is Jacob."

At his introduction, the russet skinned man stood and extended his huge hand. I timidly offered my own and he smiled. When our hands met I was fascinated by the contrast of our skin colours. He was beautifully tanned next to my pale alabaster. He stood tall next to both Tanya and I, at least two feet taller. His smile was warm and bright while his long black hair grazed his shoulders. He was gorgeous and I saw exactly why Tanya liked him so much.

"Nice to meet you, Bella. Tanya's told me a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you, as well."

He gestured to the sofa as I sat at one end, Jacob and the other and Tanya came in the middle. "The pizza will be here any second." Tanya said. "Bella, Jacob is in a couple of my own classes and I got paired up with him today for an assignment."

Jacob laughed. "And I'm pretty thankful for it, too. Tanya here is as good as they come. I'm sure it's going to help my GPA significantly."

Tanya laughed along with Jacob while I tried to join in, only coming up with weak laughs.

The pizza indeed came quickly and as we ate, I stayed quiet as Jacob and Tanya discussed their assignment and laughed along to whatever television programme they were watching. I engaged in their small talk whenever it was directed at me but I kept quiet because I knew what this entire thing was about.

It was not until 11:30pm that Jacob left. He said cheery goodbyes and gave Tanya a peck on her cheek before leaving. The second he left, Tanya hurried to my side and squealed like a teenage girl.

"So, what do you think about Jacob?" She asked quickly.

"He's great. Really knows how to have fun, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, great sense of humour, never a downer. So… I was thinking that if you liked him… maybe we could invite him over this weekend?"

I knew the question was coming. "Tanya, you were so sad about Edward last night, are you sure this is a good idea? So soon?"

"Bella, yes, I was broken about Edward's rejection but what do you want me to do if he doesn't want us? And I really didn't plan on inviting Jacob this weekend. We've spoken in class a couple times but today he just seemed to be that person who got me out of that bad mood."

My feeling of guilt surfaced once more at her words. It was my fault that she was so ready to jump into bed with Jacob. I admit that he is a nice person but it was still too soon. I wanted to make her happy again and before I knew it, my mouth had a mind of its own agreed to the weekend with the huge Indian.

Her face broke into one of the most delighted expressions I ever saw and even though my heart was screaming at me to take it back, I couldn't say anything more. I was still shocked at my agreement and was now worrying about facing Edward for another reason tomorrow.

**********

**EPOV**

**Tell you about it when I see you. I miss you, too.**

Bella's reply was short and terse and still sent me worrying. I know that telling Tanya would be a difficult task for her so I decided to give her some time to process everything. I would see her tomorrow and she would tell me. I would comfort her when she needed it and be there for her in every way that I could.

When I walked into the lecture hall the next morning, Bella had her head bent low in her books as if she were hiding. I took a seat next to her and held her hand which was at her side, giving it a gentle squeeze with a warm smile. She smiled back weakly and turned her attention back to the front of the hall where the Professor just walked in. Her silence had me wracked through the entire class. I wanted to just take her out of there and let her vent everything to me while I held her in my arms.

Not soon enough, the lecture ended and I waited until everyone filed out before I addressed Bella. I took both of her hands in mind and kneeled next in front of her.

"Bella, sweetheart, tell me what's wrong."

She looked up at me with red and teary eyes. "I didn't tell Tanya about us."

I could understand that. I knew she would have had difficulty going through with something like that. "Honey, its okay. Really. I understand that you weren't ready for something like that. Can you tell me what happened?"

Bella let out a quiet sob and cleared her throat before speaking again. "Tanya asked me if I saw you that day and if you had a reply to her invitation. I told her that you didn't want to do it and that you didn't give a reason as to why."

"Bella, that's okay…" she stopped me before I could finish.

"Tanya was pretty sad about your rejection. The next day however, I got home to find her with one of her lab partners and friends, Jacob."

My heart clenched as I realised where her story might be headed.

"Edward, I did something stupid."

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No, I have obviously not abandoned the story. Thank you for understanding the tardy update, they'll come more frequently now.

My readers and reviewers still rock.

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	12. Unexpected

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

*********

**EPOV**

"Edward, I did something stupid."

Bella's voice cracked on the sentence as I prepared for the worst, and probably exactly what I was waiting for. She did not seem to move on from her last statement so, reluctantly, I gave her the push she needed.

"Bella, what did you do?"

She took a deep breath before answering me. "Tanya had Jacob over last night so I could meet him… so I could agree to a session with him this weekend." A sob burst through when she finished and although I was expecting it to lead to this, my chest sank and my legs now felt unstable.

I took my seat next to Bella once more in the most ungraceful manner. My head fell into my hands with my elbows propped on my thighs. I could have prepared myself for this, seen it coming, anticipated it, but nothing compared to actually living it in this moment. I found myself at a loss for words as I listened to breathing go from long and deep to short and erratic. I felt Bella's eyes on me, and shortly after her hand came on my shoulder. Instinctively, I shrugged her off and heard her gasp with the harshness of my action.

"Edward, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. When Tanya asked me what I thought of Jacob and what I thought about this weekend, I just felt so lost. The look on Tanya's face was so happy and expectant and I didn't want to mess with it. It was like an out-of-body experience for me agreeing to it. I know it's no excuse, but Tanya is my best friend and after I hurt her the day before I couldn't bear to let her down." Bella said, trying to explain.

The look on _Tanya's_ face, her best friend is _Tanya_. What about the look on my face now, Bella? I wanted to be her best friend. My mind screamed at me to tell her all of this while my heart battled against it, knowing that it must be difficult for her as well. Eventually, my mind won out.

I lifted my head from my hands and looked straight into Bella's eyes. They were red and puffy from all of her crying. She tried to move her head to avoid my gaze but my hand took hold of her chin and kept her eyes focused on me.

"What about me, Bella? You love me too, don't you?" My voice sounded grainy and harsh and not at all like my own. I let go of her chin when tears started to flow again. "Fuck, Bella, what do you want?"

"Ed-, "She started, but I put out my hand to stop her. I did not want to hear anymore excuses or explanations.

With my eyes still locked on Bella's I stood up, gathered my things and turned my back on her, walking out of the lecture hall. Her calls for me to come back were weak in my ears; all I wanted was to get out of there. Without another look or sentence to Bella, I walked out after a forceful push of the hall's doors.

I did not get far. I sat on the stone bench a few feet away from the doors which faced one of the small gardens that the University had throughout campus. The sky was overcast, the usual weather in Seattle. I breathed in the cold air to clear my head after my encounter with Bella. I never swore in front of a woman, it would occasionally escape me in the heat of lovemaking but that was about it. I was always brought up to believe that men should always act polite and proper in front of women.

Fuck. I messed up with Bella. If I truly loved her, my heart would have won out over my insane mind. The cold air was definitely helping to clear my head. I was never his harsh with Bella and now my demons came out when she was already down. No sound came from the door behind me so it was safe to assume that Bella was still in the hall. I gathered my things once more and entered the classroom again, this time with a clear head and intent not to hurt Bella.

Her sniffles were the sound that greeted me the second I stepped inside. I looked up to find her where I left her minutes ago, head bent and sobbing into her hands. The click of the door closing made her rise her head and her eyes met mine across the distance. I quickly glanced at the schedule for the hall and saw that there wasn't another class in here for another two hours. I locked the doors, wanting to be alone with Bella, to sort things out and make sure that she did not run away from me after my harshness before.

Bella gasped when she heard the deep click of the lock and suddenly looked afraid. This is what I was afraid of. I dropped my things on the floor and walked slowly up the stairs to meet her. Surprisingly, her eyes never left mine and she made no attempt to move although I would understand if she did. I needed to believe now that it was her love that compelled her not to move, to listen to what I had to say, and that she was not just paralysed with fear.

Finally, I reached her level and slowly sat down next to her. Bella's face was thoroughly red by now, her cute nose and brown eyes; her breathing was shallow but she never moved. I held my hand up to her cheek so I could wipe the tears away. As expected, Bella tilted her head away from me so I would be left grasping air.

"Bella, I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me." I pleaded.

She inhaled deeply and nodded. Moving her head back to where it originally was so that my hand was now against her cheek. Bella closed her eyes and leaned in into my hand. "Don't worry about it. I know how it feels."

I was so relieved to hear her say anything to me in that moment, I placed my other hand on her cheek and brought her slowly to my lips, placing a soft kiss on her lips, and letting mine linger there for seconds longer.

"Thank you."

Bella scoffed. "You shouldn't be apologising to me. I'm the one that messed up here; I couldn't do something as simple as tell my friend about us. Your reaction was totally justified, Edward."

"Bella, we needn't worry about what has already happened. We need to think about what to do now. Now, do you want to go through with this weekend with Tanya and Jacob?"

"I don't know, Edward. If I pull out, Tanya would be--,"

I stopped her for the second time that day. "Bella, I asked do _you_ want to go through with this. You need to start to thinking about yourself and what do you want. If you keep sacrificing what you want to satisfy others, then all you'll be left with is resentment. Now, I'll ask you again, do _you_ want to go through with this?"

Bella took a long minute before she took another deep breath and answered. "No, I don't." She took my hand and held in both of hers. "I love you, Edward. Our first time, and every other time since was perfect and no one can take your place. You are the only man I would ever want."

Bella's words went straight to my heart making it beat exceptionally faster. I placed a kiss on her forehead and brought her to chest in a tight embrace. I could not think of any other way to tell her how much her words meant to me.

"I love you, Bella." I whispered against her hair.

"Edward," she coughed, "can't…breathe…"

I let go of her immediately and heard her small laugh. "I love you too, Edward, and I would like to stay alive to do it."

I laughed sarcastically at her comment and brought her to sit on my lap. My hands found their way immediately to her long brown locks and brought her down to my lips in a passionate kiss. Bella's hands mirrored my own, tugging slightly on my hair. My tongue entered her mouth and I was engulfed in everything that was Bella. Her warm mouth was exactly what I needed after out confrontation, I needed the trust she still had in me so we could get through this rough patch.

We broke away from each other for much needed air and pressed our foreheads together.

"Edward, telling Tanya is going to be a nightmare." Bella whispered.

"Don't worry about that, my love. There is still time before Saturday; you should use it to prepare yourself for it." I offered.

"You won't mind?"

"Bella, I saw how hard it was for you to tell let down Tanya earlier this week. U didn't have the time then, but you do now. Think about it this way, you need to study before a mid-term right?"

"I guess… I'm still deathly afraid of exams, though, even after weeks of studying." She admitted.

"Yes, everyone is. But this time you have something you didn't have before. I am going to be with you and whatever you need I'll be more than happy to oblige."

"Thank you, Edward."

"That's what I'm here for. I'm yours."

Bella blushed and hid her face in the crook of my neck, placing a small kiss there. We sat in silence for a while until Bella broke out of her reverie.

"We should go. I have class in an hour and I want to get something to eat."

I reluctantly nodded and let her stand before me. When she gathered her things, I offered to carry them for her and we made our way to the doors. As we faced the locked doors Bella turned around to face me and cocked an eyebrow.

"Why did you lock the doors?"

"Honestly? I wanted to make sure that I got a chance to earn your forgiveness for my behaviour earlier and I wasn't going to let you leave until then."

Bella suddenly had a smirk on her face after hearing my admission. "Really? Why, Edward, that's…really hot." She walked towards me and pressed her palms against my chest. Bella stuck her tongue out and licked her lips in the most seductive way that sent a jolt between my legs. Bella didn't stop there though. She moved closer to me, her breasts pushed against my chest and ground her hips against mine effectively making me harder.

I took hold of the side of her arms and pulled her away from my figure. Bella's face fell until I started to walk her backwards. When her back came into contact with the wall, a dazzling smile shone her features. Her eyes now sparkled with the idea of what would happen now and I was happy to see it.

We wasted no time in taking each others lips, our tongues fighting and teeth knocking, definitely not the most graceful kiss we had but certainly one of the most passionate. My hands went to Bella's jeans and quickly made work of the buttons keeping it together. I broke our kiss as I knelt down in front of her to guide her jeans down her long cream legs. When her jeans were tossed aside, I kissed my way to her panties and tugged them down where they joined Bella's jeans on our bags. On my way back up, I placed a small kiss on her clit and felt her shiver under me.

Once I was eye level with Bella once again, she took my lips again resuming our kiss with more fervour. While my hands now massaged her breasts through her shirt, I could feel Bella's hands on my jeans. Within seconds Bella undid my buttons and let my jeans fall to my ankles. She traced the line of my boxers before tugging them down and grabbing my steel hard cock in her hands. I moaned into her mouth as she massaged my tip with the palm of one hand and stroked my length with the other.

Afraid that I'll come right into her expert hands, I grabbed her hips and lifted her high enough so she could comfortably wrap her legs around my waist. Bella's arms were around my shoulders and before I could ask her if she was sure about this, she covered my mouth with one of her hands and simply nodded. I kissed her sweetly and guided myself easily into her warm and wet center.

Bella groaned as I entered her inch by inch. When I was fully sheathed, I gave her a moment to adjust to the feeling. I was deeper in this position and I did not want to hurt her. Slowly, I started an initial rhythm earning a moan from Bella every time I was in her. Bella began to gyrate her hips against me, obviously wanting more friction.

I held her hips tightly and began to thrust faster and further into her. The moans which fell from her lips were animalistic which kept my driving into her. I bent my knees lower and angled my hips which hit a different place inside her on my next thrust. She groaned in response which told me that was where I would focus my efforts. I felt my balls tighten, ready to come as I thrust into Bella in the previous spot.

Her breaths came quick and shallow, as did mine. I would not be able to hold on for longer and from the looks of it, neither would Bella. I brought my hand to where we were joined and rubbed her clit while my thrusts came faster. I felt Bella's internal walls tighten against me and within seconds we both reached our climax.

I pulled out and held Bella against me as our heartbeats slowed. I grabbed a small towel from my bag and cleaned up Bella before attending to myself. After I pulled back on my jeans, I helped Bella into hers. When we were righted, I pulled Bella into another tight embrace.

"Everything is going to be okay. We will get through this. Together. "

Bella nodded into my chest and pulled away. I unlocked the doors and we stepped out into civilisation and out of our bubble.

**********

**BPOV**

"Come on, Edward." I said, tugging his arm.

"Bella—" He started.

"No. No 'Bella'. It's just the cafeteria. You are not going to pick up any strange diseases or inhale toxic gas. I've been in there countless times and I'm fine."

Edward was being irrational. Just because he was some whiz at cooking didn't mean that he could snub cafeteria food. He tried to get me to come back with him to his apartment so he could cook me a decent meal but with the drive there and back I would be late for my next class. He eventually softened his scowl and opened the glass doors so I could step in first.

"Thank you." I said.

The cafeteria was huge. The walls were all frosted glass so it was always bright with the little sunlight we got and the huge light fixtures above. The cafeteria held everything from breakfast cereals to pasta, pizza to cheeseburgers and on special days even some Indian food. The dessert carousel always had Jell-O, over seven types of cheesecake and an assortment of pie.

Because of my time constrictions, I settled for pizza. Our spontaneous lovemaking in the lecture hall was the most intense thing I ever experienced. I felt Edward every step I took and I loved it. When he walked out on me earlier, I thought that he would not have wanted to see me ever again. Edward had to truly be the best man on this Earth because he came back to me, he loved me, he would wait and he made love to me again.

My sensual lover looked at my cheese pizza suspiciously but said nothing; he was learning. I made my way over to the dessert and picked up slices of cheesecake and pie. Edward always struck me as an apple pie person. I swiped my meal card before Edward could offer to pay and we made our way over to an empty table.

"I don't understand how you can eat that, Bella." Edward said.

"It's really good. Trust me. Although I will confess this, I did miss your cooking yesterday. The pasta I had here just didn't match up to yours."

He smiled and blushed. I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek for being a good sport about cafeteria food. I pushed the apple pie to him with a fork daring him to eat it. Not to miss a challenge, Edward picked up the fork, took a piece of the pie and gave it a 'death stare' before putting it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, as thought afraid of eventually swallowing it but after seconds after, his expression changed; he was smiling.

"Wow. Bella, you were right. That pie was extraordinary." He confessed after he swallowed his bite, quickly following up with another. "Thank you."

I laughed at him and finished my pizza.

"Bella, you have to taste this." Edward offered, holding his fork out to me.

"Edward, I already know how the pie tastes. This is my turf remember?"

He laughed but still held out the fork. I rolled my eyes at him and took the bite off the fork. He was right, as usual, this apple pie was extraordinary. They must have put something different in it. Edward watched me as a chewed and swallowed.

"Okay, you were right, it was extraordinary."

He leaned in and pressed him lips to mine quickly. When he pulled away, an expected voice came from behind us.

"Bella?"

I felt numb at the mention of my name. Tanya saw everything.

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	13. Confession

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

*************

**BPOV**

There was definitely no running away from it now. Tanya had seen everything and any time I thought I had to prepare myself for the onslaught was lost. My eyes were fixed on Edward; his face was still and held no emotion but his hand held mine so tightly I would soon lose all feeling in it.

The situation was becoming more awkward with each passing second and I knew Tanya would be waiting for some sort of explanation. Excuses ran through my mind before I could put a stop to it. I would tell Tanya everything, no lies, no shortcuts.

"Bella?" Tanya called to me once more.

I took a deep breath and nodded to Edward. His forehead creased with worry and I lifted my free hand to smooth them away. I felt no fear for the simple gesture in front of Tanya as she would soon know the truth. I loved Edward and I would ease his worry. He brought my hand to his lips, placing a small kiss in my palm before reluctantly extracting his hand from mine. I gave him a small smile and turned away from him, walking towards Tanya.

"Bella, what's going on?" she asked cautiously.

When I was within reach, I grasped Tanya's hand and started to lead her outside the cafeteria. "Tanya, walk me to class and I'll tell you what you want to know." The walk would ease her mind just as her daily runs did. Tanya's gaze left Edward's as we exited the building and then she walked at my side, eyes boring into the side of my face.

"Bella, again, what's going on?"

"Edward and I are… together."

Tanya's grip on my hand tightened and brought me to a stop. It was the first time I looked into her eyes since the cafeteria and the multitude of emotions in them weakened my knees. There was sadness, anger, disbelief.

"How? When?"

"It's the most spontaneous thing ever, Tanya. I felt something last weekend when we were together, and he felt it too. This was so much more intense than anything I ever felt with Jim."

"I see. Is that why you didn't want him to be with me again?"

"Tanya, I'm sorry. I truly am." She said nothing but kept her grip on my hand and started walking us toward my lecture. I was thankful that I did not have to look into her eyes again.

A few minutes of silence after, Tanya spoke. "You knew I liked him. You saw how I was when you told me he didn't want to be with us."

I kept my eyes on my shoes as we walked. "I liked him, too, Tanya. Didn't you hear what I said? Whatever I felt for Edward in that one night exceeded anything I felt for Jim." I hesitated before I would say next. "I love him."

Tanya stopped us for the second time and turned me to face her but I kept my head down. She held my chin and brought my head up making sure that I would see her face. "I thought you loved me, Bella?"

"I do love you, Tanya. I can love two people you know." I was getting angry, how could she ask me that? After all we have been through she had doubts?

"I'm just looking out for you, Bella. You loved Jim too and you know how that turned out. How do you know Edward won't be the same way? You say you love him but has he ever said it back?"

I shook off Tanya's hand on my chin and stepped back. "Yes, he has. He said it first. And Edward is different."

"He's a guy! They're all the same." She argued as her voice rose.

"You've had boyfriends yourself and I didn't say anything against it, Tanya. Why are you begrudging me this?"

Tanya was being uncharacteristically unreasonable now. As my best friend she should be happy for me.

Tanya's face softened a little at my question. "Because I remember how you were when Jim broke your heart even if you don't. I remember you going into zombie-mode and that was not a pretty sight. Do you want that to happen again?"

"I do remember what happened, Tanya, and I would forever be grateful to you for supporting me for that time. But like I said, Edward is different. He's self-less and considerate and didn't care if I was prepared to put off being with him so I can be with you."

"Bella, Edward is a nice guy, but how do you know for certain that his words aren't empty promises?"

"I just know."

"You are so naïve." Tanya said.

"I'd rather be naïve than cynical." I said.

With that last comment, I turned my back on Tanya and walked the last few metres to my lecture. I could not talk to her when she was like that. It was rude of me to just walk away but at that point, we both needed to calm down.

My lecture was a blur for the next few hours; the voices were distorted and my sight was unfocused. It felt like an eternity glued to my chair until finally the class was dismissed. I took longer than usual to get my things together because I knew that Tanya vs. Bella part two would begin the minute she gets home.

A sombre looking Edward greeted me at the doors as I exited the class and pulled me into a massive hug. Before I could complain about the oxygen loss Edward pulled away.

"I'm sorry. Why didn't you let me come with you?" he asked.

I groaned. "Don't apologise. And I need to handle Tanya by myself. I can't have you protecting me from this, Edward."

He sighed and nodded. "I understand. How did it go?"

"Argh. Terrible. She was being totally unreasonable so I walked off. It's bound to be worse later." I said.

Edward took my bag off my shoulder, hung it on his and draped his arm over my shoulder, pulling me into his side. I wrapped one hand around his waist and leaned into his chest, letting him guide our movements.

I would occasionally breathe in his intoxicating scent of cologne, rain and boy. It made me feel warm and at home and weak in the knees. Tanya's doubts about Edward clouded my mind despite my resistance but I would not allow them to interfere. Edward loved me and most of all, he showed it. Simple gestures and everything he did for me screamed different and love.

Walking with Edward's arm around me and close to him was something I never had with Jim; he was totally against public displays of affection. Although I was prone to avoiding anything attention-bearing, being with Edward as eyes followed us did not make me feel the least bit uncomfortable.

All too soon, our walk was over and I was faced with my front door. I dreaded going inside even without Tanya being there. I opened the door and pulled Edward in, not being in any mood to be alone right now. I took my things into my room and joined Edward on the sofa.

I motioned for him to pivot his body and put a leg up so I could relax against him. My back was against his chest, making me rise up and down with every slow breath he took and his arms were wrapped around my waist.

"Edward, do you love me?" I asked softly.

"Of course I love you. You know that."

"Yes, but why do you love me?"

"Bella, where is this coming from?" Edward asked behind me.

"Nothing, I'm sorry. It's just something Tanya said."

Edward sighed. "I love you because you are the most beautiful, smart person I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I love you because you love and value your friendships so much that you are willing to do anything to keep them. I love you because you are stubborn. I love you because you are unpredictable. Should I keep going?"

My heart thumped erratically at his words and the passion with which he said them. "No, it's okay." I took one of his hands around my waist and brought it to my lips. "Thank you."

Edward kissed the top of my head in reply. Seconds later, he took the hand I held and extracted something from his pocket.

"Twix!" I squealed. I turned my body around at once and kissed him full on the lips. "Oh, Edward. You really do love me."

He laughed heartily at my reaction, handed over the candy bar and ruffled my hair playfully. "Chocolate helps for situations like these. I took a wild guess with the Twix; most people like Snickers but I don't really like peanuts."

I took a bite of the candy and moaned. "I don't like Snickers either. Reese's are my second favourite." I took another bite and marvelled at how much better I felt but that could be from discovering that Edward and I had another thing in common.

For the next couple hours, Edward did a brilliant job of keeping me distracted once he realised that the thought of confronting Tanya again would get me rigid and quiet. Our inane conversation today revolved around candy bars and which would kick another's ass in a fight. In the end, our beloved Twix emerged victorious after his fight with Mr Goodbar (the match was probably fixed by us). However, it was time for Edward to go so he would not witness Tanya vs. Bella part two. I was thankful that he did not insist on staying this time, recognising my need to be independent on this.

When he left, I quickly ordered a pizza which arrived minutes before Tanya did. Our greetings were cold and short as we avoided each other's eyes that night and ate in different rooms.

"So how are things with your boyfriend?" Tanya sneered from the living room. I could hear her quite clearly from where I was sitting in the kitchen.

"They're excellent, thanks for asking." I replied stoically.

It was still very difficult for me to be on the receiving end of Tanya's attitude so I intended on keeping it at a level where it would not go out of control. Tanya, however, obviously had a different idea of how this would go.

She left her plate on the coffee table and sauntered over to where I was sitting in the kitchen. Her crossed arms were leaning on the counter as she addressed me. "So… why don't you tell me how the happy couple came to be together?" her voice oozed with disdain as I struggled to keep my emotions in check.

"We had lunch. We talked. That's it." Short, precise and the truth.

"Lunch and conversation? I'm not stupid Bella." Tanya leaned in close to my ear and whispered. "How about the sex? Nice, long, thick cock right? I had him in me too, Bella, don't be shy."

I cringed at the crudeness of her words. My wall was quickly being torn down and I was done playing it safe.

"What's wrong, Tanya? Jealous that I had him more than you did? That someone is actually interested in me rather than you?"

Tanya's demeanour faltered a bit as she realised that I was now fighting back, but she quickly regained it.

"Oh, honey, please. He probably knew it was easier to get back into your pants than it would be to be in mine."

"I'm sorry; I must be mistaken but wasn't it you who wanted him back this weekend but then had to settle for some wannabe?"

Tanya said nothing and our verbal clash came to a halt. We stared at each other, breathing heavily. Her gaze was intense, something I would usually shy away from but this time I would fight for what I wanted.

The silence between us grew deafening but I stayed my course. I had the last line and now waiting on Tanya's attack. Her arms hung at her sides, her fingers clenched into a fist. She swayed slightly on each foot as her jaw stuck out more defined than ever by her clenched teeth.

Even now, Tanya looked beautiful. Frighteningly beautiful, but beautiful nonetheless. I was lucky to have her as my best friend when I did but I could see the end of that road fast approaching. We stood for minutes and maybe an hour or two before I realised that there was nothing either of us could say again tonight.

I sighed and walked into our bedroom. I gathered books I would need tomorrow and stuffed it in my duffle bag with a couple of pieces of clothing, my laptop and my purse and walked out of the room.

Tanya was still standing where I left her when I came back out. I took one last look at her in the kitchen, trying to find something to say. There was obviously not going to be another word between us tonight but for everything that happened today, the words which passed between us, I hoped that it would not be the last. Breaking my gaze from her, I sighed and walked out of the apartment.

*********

**EPOV**

I punched the keys angrily on my laptop's keyboard, frustrated with myself that I could not do anything but wait to see Bella tomorrow and ask what happened between her and Tanya. Their first confrontation had taken a lot out of Bella and every time she thought about it, her entire self changed. I had to resort to chocolate and mindless conversation to keep her otherwise occupied.

When Bella asked me why exactly I loved her, I was hesitant at first but it seemed as though it was something that she needed at that time. I really only gave her a handful of reasons but I doubted that she had a day or more to listen to all my little and growing reasons.

A knock at my door saved my keyboard from further onslaught as I went to see who could possibly be at my door at ten-thirty. A quick look through the peephole to a distinctive colour hair and I wasted no time in opening the door.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" I asked, quickly pulling her inside.

She had a duffle bag in her hand and her face was streaked with tears. I gently gathered her shaking figure into my arms and rocked her slowly. It was then that her sobs broke through and all I could do was comfort her.

"Shh… it's going to be alright." I kept murmuring to her.

When her sobs came to an end and my apartment grew quiet, I led Bella into the washroom. I cleaned her face and took off the layers of clothes she kept for warmth before putting her in the tub of warm water. Bella was quiet and her eyes were closed as I washed her body and dressed her in one of my sweatshirts.

I carried her to my bed and decided to make her a cup of chamomile tea so she would at least get a decent night's sleep. When I came back from the kitchen, however, Bella was fast asleep and curled into a little ball.

My heart clenched at the sight of my beautiful girl broken. I took off the light and got into bed with her. I pulled the warm covers over us and held Bella against my chest, my arms wrapped around her as we were earlier today.

This entire experience had taken so much out of her, and will continue to do it. Bella was not a person to be sad and seeing her that way was not Bella.

I would try to keep her happy and make sure that she's taken care of. I loved her and this was the least I could do for her right now.

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I know I'm sucking with the updates here but stay with me.

Thank you all again for the continued support, I love you.

And thanks to my chica Dee who said she 'pimped me out' to the Rob Pattinson IMDb board.

Keep the reviews coming.

ps - what's your fave candy bar?


	14. Coping

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

************

**EPOV**

Inhale… exhale… inhale…

I watched Bella took deep breaths in her sleep and smiled. Sometime during the night she awoke with a start and a soft scream when she realised she was not in her own bed. Luckily, I still had not fallen asleep and was able to console her which put her back to sleep. She tossed and turned, mumbling something about Tanya and why she had to make things difficult, but now, Bella was sound asleep and her face showed no signs of stressful sleep.

Leaning in, I placed a small kiss on her forehead and got out of bed as stealthily as I could. The sun would not be up for another hour and Bella told me that she was not much of an early riser. I took the opportunity to indulge in my usual morning rituals; however, I would only run three miles today. I did not want Bella to wake up and I would not be there.

Decked out in my running gear, I left the apartment quietly after making sure Bella was still awake. I left a note on the bedside table in case she woke up telling her that I would be back before she knew I was even gone. With my muscles stretched and ready I started an even rhythm. I passed some of the regular joggers out at this time and waved; I mist have looked strange being the only one out there without an Ipod attached to my ears but this was my quiet and relaxing time where I could be alone with my thoughts.

The sound of my feet hitting the road brought a comforting sound every morning and soothed my thoughts. This morning however, my mind was only focused on Bella. She stood up to her best friend even though she was terrified and finally fought for something she wanted. I knew that the repercussions would be present, but not so severe. Bella thought that Tanya would be able to understand her plea for a life where they could just be friends but the second I saw Bella through my peephole last night, it was obvious that Bella's assumptions went down the drain.

She said nothing last night which still had me thoroughly worried about her well-being. I saw all the different ways people are affected when they keep things like this bottled up inside of them. Even though I wanted to help Bella as much as I could right now, I would not push her into telling me anything unless she was ready to.

My line of thought revolved around Bella for the rest of my run – how to make her feel comfortable during her stay, make sure that she does not regret the step she took and reassuring her that I love her no matter what the circumstances. Before I knew it I was already back at my building and jogging up the stairs.

My apartment was quiet and still as Bella had not moved much from when I left her. The sun was now beginning to show its first rays as I gathered some clothes and took a shower in the second bathroom still not wanting to wake Bella.

After I was cleaned up I prepared my things for my class later, Bella and I had the same class today after lunch. It was still too early to get started on breakfast and decided that I would start on the French toast for Bella when she woke up. To kill some time, I checked my email and replied to Alice's query as to my situation with Bella.

The last time we spoke was when I called her for advice and it was not till now that I realised I had not called to tell her how things worked out. Our next sibling dinner would not be for another two weeks and I knew that Alice would be pounce on me the second she saw me. I replied to her email promising to call when I could and tell her everything – everything I could without divulging too much of Bella's personal life.

My morning was filled with bits of odds and ends, finishing things around the apartment which I said I would always do but never did. At nine thirty, a half-asleep Bella emerged from my bedroom. Her hair was a mess but I liked it somehow and she tried rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she sat down on the sofa and patted the cushion next to her.

I rushed to her side and placed a kiss on her temple before sitting next to her.

"Good morning." I greeted her.

Bella simply moaned and rested her head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Bella said her voice hoarse from her crying last night.

Ah, I was expecting this. "Bella, you don't have anything to be sorry for."

She obviously did not hear what I said because she kept going on. "I'm sorry I barged in here so late last night, it's just that I didn't know where else to go."

I turned so that I could look into her face and held her gaze. "You are always welcomed here, any day, any time."

Bella nodded and rested her forehead against mine. As I moved to give her a kiss on her lips, she suddenly backed away, her eyes wide and a palm against her mouth.

"Morning breath." She mumbled behind her hand.

I laughed at her and attempted to move her hand aside nonetheless. "I don't care."

She was determined to keep her hand over her mouth so I did not push it. I took hold of her free hand and bid her to follow me. I led her into my bathroom and took a spare toothbrush out of the cabinet. She looked to be smiling behind her hand and quickly ushered me out of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Bella's small arms wrapped around my waist as I concentrated on some toast. I felt her head rest between my shoulder blades and heard her sigh. As I turned around to face her, she quickly tiptoed and took my lips with hers.

This kiss, as with many of our previous ones began soft and sweet. Our lips simply glided with each other's, teasing and tasting. Bella tasted like cinnamon, the flavour of my toothpaste and I wondered why it never tasted this good. Before our kiss could deepen, Bella pulled away and smiled.

"Don't burn my toast." She said with a small laugh.

I couldn't help but laugh with her. I had no expected her to be laughing or seem this carefree so soon but I was letting Bella set her own pace. "Of course, Mistress Bella."

Bella rose once more and gave me a kiss on my nose before I turned my attention back to her toast. I heard the chair slide across the floor as Bella sat at the breakfast bar. The first batch was finished as soon as she sat down as I dished it out and placed the powdered sugar along with the maple syrup before her.

After drowning the toast in both sugar and syrup, Bella wasted no time in digging into her meal and I took a moment to watch her close her eyes and moan softly at the taste. I smiled as she opened her eyes, there was still sadness from last night but for now, she was happy.

"Best. Toast. Ever." She complimented as I began to make more.

"So uh…I was thinking, how would you feel about going to dinner?" I asked Bella as I focused on the toast in front me. "You can't possibly live on pizza and takeout every night, could you?"

I figured that although Bella was going through a rough time right now, maybe going out would help. I finished the next batch and laid it out before Bella, her head was down and she had stopped eating. Maybe it really was too soon to ask her something like this.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't think that through. If you don't want to go, it's perfectly alright."

She raised her head slowly and looked into my eyes before giving me her answer.

"Edward, I would love to go out. Thank you." Bella said simply and resumed eating her French toast.

I could tell that she was still unsure about going out this soon but I would make it a great night for her. When I finished the last of the toast, I took the seat next to Bella, kissed her on her cheek in an appreciation of accepting my offer and began eating.

The apartment was quiet with the exception the occasional singing bird and quiet music playing on the stereo. Where most of our quiet moments together were comfortable, this morning was spent with tension. Bella had yet to breach the subject of Tanya and true to my word; I was not going to get into that conversation until she did.

"Edward," Bella finally said, "I know that we don't really have classes until after lunch but is there any way that you could come with me to the library? I needed to do some research for the class—"

I held up my hand and smiled at her. "Yes, Bella, that would be fine. I actually wanted to do the same thing."

Bella smiled and walked over to me, enveloping me in a tight embrace. I wasted no time in wrapping my arms around her waist and bringing her closer to me. Her breath sped up when her breasts were now pushed against my chest and I felt her peaks harden at the contact even through the material of my sweatshirt she was still wearing.

Bella brought her hand up to my cheek and stroked my skin with her thumb. Her warm breath caressed my ear as she whispered, "I love how your stubble feels." A light laugh followed and I was happy that she could still laugh.

Her lips trailed kisses from my earlobe, down my jaw and my up my chin before she reached my own lips. By then, my senses were on fire and it took no time for our kiss to deepen. I left Bella use her knees to push my legs apart so she could effectively step between them. My hands fell to the sides of her hips, bringing her closer to me; no matter how close she was, she was never close enough.

Bella's hands roamed my chest as mine were tracing the lining of her boy shorts. I felt my own shirt being pulled above my head before I could register what was happening. Bella was now placing open mouth kisses on my heated skin. Too soon, however, the sensation stopped; I opened my eyes to see Bella staring at me. She took my hand and started walking backwards towards the sofa.

When the back of her knees came into contact with the sofa, Bella wasted no time in taking my lips with hers. My mind was shouting at me that this was some sort of coping mechanism for Bella but another certain part of my body told my mind to shut the fuck up. My hormones went into full overdrive as I pushed slightly on Bella's shoulders for her to sit. When she did, I knelt before her and tugged the edges of her shorts down, I tossed them aside and heard something thud to the floor but I was more interested with what was in front of me.

Bella had a lazy smile on her face as I held her gaze while leaning closer into where she was warm, wet and ready for me. I brushed the side of my cheek on the inside of her thigh which made her giggle and run her hand through my hair. When I was close enough, I took a tentative lick and felt Bella shudder under me as I moaned with the sweet taste.

I continued to take careful licks, avoiding the sensitive bud. Bella started to shift her hips trying to get me further in, to feel some sort of friction. Helpless to her desires, I inserted two fingers into her opening and massaged her walls while I nibbled on her clit. As I got a rhythm going between my fingers and my tongue, I felt the unpleasant sting of Bella's fingers wringing my ear.

I stopped my ministrations immediately and looked up to her with a puzzled look on my face.

*********

**BPOV**

"I want _you_ in me." I told Edward before he could begin to get worried.

Edward still looked massively dumbstruck as I reached down to the waist of his jeans and tugged up. As he stood before me, I noticed the bulge between his legs and wasted no time in undoing his buttons and tugging down his boxers. I let him sit bare on the sofa before moving to straddle him.

The last time we were in this position our clothes did not allow us to go much further than we did but now I craved it. There was an untold desire and need to just have Edward right here and now. A part of me acknowledged that it was just a way to prove Tanya wrong, that Edward truly wanted me and not her. My reasonable side was dead and gone when Edward looked at me with fire in his eyes and the magic of his lips drew me in.

Our tongues fought for dominance in a hormone driven fight as I ground my hips against his. Finally needing more that just rubbing, I rose myself up and lowered myself on Edward's steel hard member. At least Tanya got the description of Edward right. Damnit, again with Tanya infiltrating my thoughts! Thankfully, she was pushed out of my head the second I felt Edward fully sheathed in me.

My moan was lost in his mouth where our lips were still joined. Edward's hands palmed my breasts through his sweatshirt as I tried to get a rhythm started. The feeling was amazing, Edward was deeper than he had ever been and I felt parts of me I did not even know existed being brought to life.

Unexpectedly, Edward broke our kiss but he had a small smile on his face.

"I love how you look in my clothes, Bella, but for now…" he paused to take his sweatshirt off of me, "I don't want anything to begrudge me the view of those beautiful breasts."

Edward quickly took one of my hardened peaks into his mouth and sucked. Between the suction I would feel slight bites which made me ground myself harder onto him. Edward's actions did nothing to ease the feeling for him – the more he worked on me, the harder I worked on him. Soon, however, my legs were ready to give out.

I felt Edward's hands run down my sides and rested on the sides of my hips.

"Let me take over now." He whispered in his gruff sex voice which was enough to make me come.

I took his lips once more and let my tongue explore his sweet mouth which tasted of maple syrup. As Edward thrust into me my moans came louder; my arms were now around his shoulders, holding onto him. Edward was no quieter than I was, with every thrust came a moan of his own which sent a shock between my legs.

The apartment was filled with various moans and groans from both Edward and I. All too soon, the familiar constriction in my stomach alerted me to my impeding climax. I joined Edward in his efforts, bringing my hips down as he thrust up so he could go deeper. I felt Edward grow in me and I knew that he was close as well. Our movement became frantic and our moans were now animalistic.

Minutes later our actions stilled as our respective climaxes showered us in pleasure. Riding the last waves, I vaguely registered Edward pulling out of me and turning to lie on the length of the sofa. I inhaled the sweet musk of his skin enjoying the moment we just had.

My guilt however, would jus not stay quiet at that moment. The part of me that was protesting the entire time finally started to pipe up. Although I knew that Edward was in love with me for me and no other reason, I still felt I needed to prove something with our lovemaking minutes ago. I did not want to admit it, but Tanya's words had been haunting me since the second I left our apartment.

I knew that Edward would be anxious and waiting for me to talk about last night, and I was relieved that he had no pushed me into it. I would talk to him about it later, maybe on the drive back to the University, but not now, I would not ruin this moment by mentioning her name.

"Are you sure we need to go to class today?" Edward grumbled under me.

I laughed. "Unfortunately, yes. And we're already late if we want to get work done in the library first."

"Okay, okay. You go ahead and get ready, I'll clean up." Edward said as he brought us back to a sitting position. He placed one kiss on my temple before handing me back his sweatshirt and fixing his jeans.

Edward's shower had jets running the length of his shower wall and after the first few seconds, I knew that it would be hell to get out of there. The jets hit every sore muscle I earned and relaxed it instantly. I knew that time was running out so I reluctantly exited, silently promising to stay until I turn prune-y on my next visit.

My duffle bag lay at the foot of Edward's bed. My mood fell when I saw it there, a reminder of the stalemate I faced last night. What was going to happen to us now? I sighed and got dressed, taking my books along with me and I entered the living room.

Edward cleaned the kitchen of the French toast mess and reading a book until he heard me enter.

"Ready?"

"Yep." I answered with as much confidence as I could muster. I dreaded going back, afraid of what would happen if I were to cross paths with Tanya.

Edward took my things and held my hand as we walked out of the apartment and down to his car. He placed our things in the backseat and opened my door for me; I would never get used to that. As we pulled out of his parking spot and onto the road, Edward wasted no time in taking on of my hands in his. I figured this was as good as a time as any.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier." I started.

The lines on Edward's forehead appeared immediately. "What do you mean?"

"About practically pouncing on you at breakfast."

"You hardly pounced, Bella. It's okay."

As usual, he wanted to make me feel better. "Edward, just listen to what I have to say."

He nodded and kissed the back of my hand.

"I think that I let what Tanya told me last night get to me. She said that you only wanted me because I was a substitute for her. I know that you love me, Edward but I think that on some level, I wanted to prove to myself that what Tanya said wasn't true."

The car was quiet for a minute before Edward spoke. "Of course she's wrong, Bella. How could you even think that I wanted you because of that? You are not a substitute for anyone. You are unique, different and that's what I love about you. You are the polar opposite of Tanya."

I was glad that Edward was driving as he spoke because I knew the passion that his eyes would have during his little speech would bring me near tears.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I don't know how I could even buy into what she said."

"Stop apologising, Bella Swan. This is not your fault."

It was now my turn to bring Edward's hand to my lips and place a kiss there. A small gesture which I hoped spoke tons of my appreciation and love.

We spent the rest of the drive arguing over the radio stations and which radio personality was the best at this time slot. The lack of traffic allowed us to get to campus sooner than we thought; Edward pulled into the parking lot closest to the library and rushed over to open my door for me again.

Edward took my hand in his as we walked toward the library which made me feel considerably more at ease. As we rounded the corner however, the sight before us was not what I expected. Tanya was in a full lip-lock mode with Jacob. She had her back pressed into a wall as he pressed his body against the length of hers.

When their kiss broke, Tanya looked in our direction as if knowing that we were already there. She looked down at Edward's hand around mine and scoffed. "Oh, how cute."

After Tanya and Jacob's little exhibition I was at a loss for words. I simply shook my head at Tanya and walked past her. Before we could get a decent distance away from her however, I felt Edward stop and pulled me into his chest. His hands found their way at my waist and brought me closer as he dipped his head and took my lips with his.

I was stunned for a second before I realised what he was doing. I smiled into his kiss and melted into his touch, deepening our kiss. When we heard a wolf-whistle somewhere near us, Edward broke our kiss, took my hand again and started walking back towards the library.

It wasn't exactly what I planned to do the first time I saw Tanya again but whatever guilt I was meant to feel at that time was replaced with the need to take Edward again. I wore a silly grin all the way to the library thinking, I have the best boyfriend ever.

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To my constant reviewers - britxfluva, dazzled_eyes22, TeamEdwardLover, MySweetEscape and MCRshortstackedme - you guys continue to rock my socks and keep me going!

To some persons who have expressed concerns about spelling errors, I run my chapters though spell check many times but I do live in a Caribbean country which was once an English colony thus my grammar would be in UK English. I hope that helps.

Thank you all for the continued support.

Review please :)


	15. Familiar

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

************

**BPOV**

"Bella, if you keep smiling like that people are going to think something's going on under this table." Edward warned.

I couldn't help it. I was still riding on the high of Edward's kiss in front of Tanya. I was riding on the high of his sweet lips when I pulled him into the unused part of the library and I imagined that for the entire day, I might be on a cloud.

We did not look back to see what expression was plastered over Tanya's face but my daydream thought it similar to a cartoon character who was just smashed by an Acme anvil.

While I acknowledged the fact that Tanya would be hurt over everything that happened, I certainly did not expect her to do something like that right in front of me mere hours after our argument. What made it absolutely worse was the fact that she seemed to have been waiting for me to do just that.

Edward, being the darling that he is, stood up for me and I hoped to God that I would be able to do something like that for him and even for myself when the time came. I loved having the feeling of knowing that Edward would protect me but there comes a time when you need to protect yourself.

"I'm sorry," I apologised as I leaned in a put a small kiss on the side of his neck, "it won't happen again. No ridiculous smiling. Study. Research."

Edward chuckled lightly, shook his head and turned his attention back to the published thesis he held in front of him. For the next couple of hours, we sat in silence occupied with our individual work and light touches which served to calm oncoming anxiety.

At lunch, Edward relented once more to cafeteria food. He just had the apple pie saying that he would just stay with what he knew would taste good and safe. Although I knew it before I remembered to make a mental note this time, Edward is picky about what he eats. I was a fairly decent cook but time constraints made it sometimes impossible to cook a full meal. My mind wondered briefly if Edward would like my cooking as I did his.

Our lecture that day was uneventful and if Edward was not next to me holding my hand tracing patterns with his thumb, I would have no doubt fallen asleep. Even though Edward was a welcome distraction to most of my thoughts, one kept infiltrating my mind – what was going to happen to me and Tanya?

Her actions this morning clearly showed that the situation would not be resolved anytime soon. Seeing her suck face with Jacob made me wonder if he even knew if she was using him. Jacob was a great guy and sincerely seemed to like Tanya and for her to be using him to get back at me would no doubt hurt him in the long run; enough people were involved in this already.

When the lecture ended, we waited until we were the last ones there before making our exit. Neither of us liked crowds and after the uninteresting lecture, many students were ready to get back their freedom and face the weekend.

"Edward?" I asked as we stepped out of the classroom. "Can we make a quick stop back at my room so I can pick some stuff up?"

The worry which Edward kept hidden for the day so far showed immediately. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"I'm not ready to face Tanya again if that's what you meant. But, she's on the other side of campus at this time so it should be safe."

My reasoning did nothing for Edward's qualms but he agreed to it. He took my hand in his once more and started our walk to my apartment.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Edward asked quietly after a few minutes of silence.

I sighed and reluctantly replied. "Not really, but I think its better that I do. I don't understand it, why would she do that to me?"

"I don't know, Bella. Maybe she thought that you hurt her so deeply that she deserved some sort of revenge?"

"It sounds harsh, even for Tanya. I know that she was tough after my episode with Jim but to do something like that to me. Someone she called her best friend. Someone that has been with her and for her in so many ways…"

"I know it hurts, Bella, but I promise you that we will get through this, together." As if to make his point, Edward gave my hand a gentle squeeze before letting go to put his arm around my shoulder and pull me closer to him.

Edward left me to the many thoughts and theories I had about Tanya's behaviour for the rest of the walk. While it was true that Tanya considered me her best friend, the fact that she felt betrayed and hurt made Edward's theory highly plausible. If that was indeed the case, then I hoped that our friendship was not so far gone that I could not reason with her.

After everything, Tanya was still my best friend and beneath the hurt of the current situation, I knew she cared for me still. Once she still cared, there was a chance that we could recover from this position and retain our friendship. My head was flooded with ways that I could confront Tanya and make her see reason when Edward stopped in front of my door.

I quickly unlocked the door and stepped in only to be frozen three steps in. Was it really only last night that I stood here at a deadlock with Tanya? I heard Edward close the door and walk behind me before his arms wrapped around my waist and he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Whatever you think, you were brilliant and brave yesterday. You fought for what you want."

I exhaled deeply and leaned my head against his. "But at what cost?"

"None at all. This will all be over before you know it. Trust me."

"I do."

We stayed like that for a few minutes before I extracted myself from Edward's arms and went into my room. It looked like a hurricane passed through. Tanya had always been the organised one in the apartment so to see the room practically destroyed sent a jolt through my heart. It hurt to realise that our fight was probably the reason this happened but I trudged forward keeping Edward's words in mind.

I picked up all the books I would need for the following week and put them into my backpack. Using another duffle bag I kept in the bottom of the closet, I stuffed any clothes I could get my hands on. Satisfied that I had enough to get me through I started walking out before I remembered my date with Edward that night.

Staring at the closet to find something that would be suitable for the date took me longer than gathering my books and clothes. Finally, I decided on my one little black dress that I remembered Tanya saying that it was classic and perfect for anything. I smiled at one of our happier memories and put it carefully in the bag.

When I came out of the room, I found Edward waiting patiently in the kitchen nibbling on one of the fruit bars he kept in his backpack – he said it was a habit he picked up from his younger sister, Alice.

"Hey, health nut." I called to him.

Edward scowled briefly and smiled again. "I'm not health nut, trust me. Ready?"

I nodded. "Yep, let's go. I would like to avoid seeing Tanya again today if it's possible."

My duffle bag was now held by Edward as we exited the apartment and walked back to the car. On our way back to Edward's apartment, we stopped at the supermarket after Edward expressed how much he was lacking.

We spent all of thirty minutes there – the shortest trip to the supermarket I ever made. Edward swooped in and out of aisles, knowing exactly what it was he needed and where to find it. When Edward picked up a pack of Mrs Fields chocolate chip cookies, I quirked an eyebrow at him inquisitively.

"For you, of course." He said.

Further down the candy lane, I picked up a box of Twix to find Edward quirking his eyebrow right back at me.

"For _us_, of course." I replied.

We laughed our way down to the check-out and continued back home.

Edward insisted on carrying his things, my duffle bag plus the groceries leaving me with just my backpack. I had to literally snatch my duffle bag and a bag of the groceries and run up the stairs before he could protest.

The rest of our afternoon was filled with merciless comments and laughter at the soap-operas on television.

"Oh!" Edward exclaimed after a couple hours of our mindless entertainment. "We should start getting ready, reservations are at 7."

I groaned, liking my comfortable spot on the sofa curled into Edward's side and his arms around me. Edward laughed and carefully got up from his spot and going into the bedroom. Before I got a chance to miss his presence, Edward returned and scooped me off the sofa and carried me into his bathroom where his tub was being filled with warm water.

I giggled as Edward slowly undressed me making sure that his fingers grazed my skin in a way that made my skin break out in goosebumps. My hands mimicked Edward's, making sure that he would be in the same position as I was. Before I got the chance to remove Edward's boxers, he moved to turn off the water in the tub and proceeded to fill it with bath oils that looked as though they have never been used.

In seconds, the room smelled of vanilla as Edward lifted me into his arms once more and put me into the tub.

"You get the tub, I'll take the shower."

I was more than miffed at the fact that he would not be joining me. Seeing the disappointment in my eyes, Edward knelt beside the tub and rested his palm on my cheek.

"Bella, you deserve a nice bath after your day." He said and placed a kiss on top of my head as he stood. "Plus, I want my shower jets all to myself tonight." And he walked away laughing, I guess he noticed I fell in love with his shower as well.

Before he stepped into the shower, Edward dropped his boxers giving me a fantastic view of his beautiful ass. I wolf whistled at him before he got in and winked as he turned around to smile and then entered the shower.

When Edward exited his shower with his towel around his waist, I was still revelling in the vanilla scents, reluctant to leave. I was now graced with the sight of Edward's toned and muscular stomach. He left me to the bath as he got dressed. Finally, I decided it was time to get out before I looked like a prune. In any other circumstances I wouldn't mind but this was date night.

By the time I dried off and entered the bedroom, Edward was already dressed. He wore a black blazer with a black shirt and dark jeans. As gorgeous as he was without clothes, he was simply dashing and handsome with them.

"I'll get out of your hair while you get ready." He said, already leaving.

"You don't have to leave, Edward."

He walked back towards me and kissed my lips softly. "Bella, this is our first date. I want to be…surprised when I see you, as it would be on any other date."

I sighed and nodded, not wanting to argue with his logic. As soon as Edward left the room, I took the dress out of the duffle bag and laid it out on the bed and smoothened out the few wrinkles. Sitting in front of Edward's mirror I applied simple makeup to my face, my style. I decided on wearing my hair up and ended up with a messy but stylish bun and a few hair strands falling delicately.

Putting on the dress with a simple pair of flats was last before I scrutinised myself in the mirror. I looked okay, not Edward's level but passable. Reluctantly, I opened the door and stepped out.

Edward's back was to me but when he heard the slightest creak thanks to my footsteps, he turned around in a flash. He visibly took a deep breath and smiled. "Bella, you look beautiful."

I couldn't help the blush that crept into my face at his words and I was suddenly interested in Edward's floors. I heard him start to walk toward me and saw his shoes when he stopped inches away from my. Edward placed a finger under my chin and tugged my face up where I saw nothing but passion and love in his eyes.

His delicate fingers brushed along my neck where the strands of hair fell as he leaned in. I felt his nose graze my collarbone and heard him inhale. My breath stopped as he continued to sweep along my neck, finally placing a kiss under my ear.

My breathing resumed as Edward pulled away and kissed my lips. I responded instantly, putting my arms around his shoulder and bringing myself closer to him, moulding myself into his chest. It felt as though Edward resisted from wrapping his hands into my hair and settled instead for running his fingers down my back where my skin was exposed.

We broke away, desperate for air.

"This is the best date I've been on so far." Edward chuckled.

I laughed with him and nodded in agreement. Edward took my hand and led us out of the apartment after helping me put on my coat. On the way to the restaurant, which Edward kept a secret, I had a startling realisation.

"This is the first date I've been on since Jim." I said quietly.

Edward squeezed my hand and brought it to his lips. "All the more reason to make tonight extraordinary."

And that it was. We pulled up to a French restaurant simply named 'Bon'. Knowing nothing of French cuisine, I let Edward order for me and he did not disappoint. Whatever it was that he ordered was mouth-watering and simply delicious. The name of the restaurant was an understatement. Edward steered our conversation in such a way that I forgot about my worries and just had fun.

At the end of the night, it had hardly felt like a date at all. There was no awkward tension and lingering silence which would normally happen. In fact, the night felt as though Edward and I were together for ages and which made me feel no guilt in breaking my rule of no sex on the first date.

**********

**EPOV**

**~*~ **One week later ~*~

Bella and I fell into a comfortable routine after her fight with Tanya. The morning after our first date Bella insisted on making me breakfast. I insisted that it was highly unnecessary but she had an omelette ready for me when I entered the kitchen. I remember her telling me that she was an okay cook, but her omelette was so far from okay and bordered on heavenly that I shamelessly asked for more.

We spent our days on campus, in class and in the library. Our mutual assignments were now finished in half the time with each other's help. When I awoke early for my daily runs, most of the time Bella would join me. She confessed that she was never the exercise type but the running cleared her mind.

I worried needlessly about Bella being alone while I had to attend classes but she seemed to grow much self-confidence in the time we spent together. We continued to pass Tanya different places on campus but there were no more raucous displays on the corridors. She continued to be with Jacob and their hands were always linked, but as were ours. Bella no longer showed any apprehension when we passed Tanya casually.

One day however, we spotted Tanya and Jacob sitting on one of the benches in the garden. Her head was rested upon his shoulder and his arm was wrapped around her middle.

"Tanya likes him." Bella said that night.

"How do you know?"

"Because I know, even after all of this. Tanya has always been a secretive type with any of her relationships; something's different about this one. When I first met Jacob I knew that he really liked her, I guess she realised that as well."

"That's a good thing, right?" I asked seeing a slight frown on Bella's face.

"It's brilliant. The fact that I've never seen her like this with a guy clearly means that she's happy. And unlike her, I'm happy that my best friend is happy."

Bella quickly changed the subject to something on her philosophy notes and I had the sense not to bring it up again. I knew that Bella missed Tanya and often wondered what was going to happen to their friendship, the look on her face while she ran gave it all away. It had already been a week, the longest they have not spoken according to Bella.

It did not escape me that Bella's things were growing in the apartment. I had already given her two drawers and some space in my closet which I did not mind. I concluded that Bella had been making trips to her room when I was occupied with classes and did not mention it to me. I did not care to venture a guess as to why she would do that.

The night of our first date, Alice called while Bella was getting ready.

"Edward, I just got your email but if I waited for you to call me, I would be dust and bones."

I laughed ruefully at her comment. "Very funny, Alice, but I did have all intention of calling you when I could."

"When you could…you are so buried in your work I knew better. So what's going on?"

I sighed, knowing that Alice would not give up. Annoyingly persistent, that one. "Bella's staying with me right now and we're about to leave on our first date."

I had to hold the phone an arm's length away to avoid Alice's squealing on the other end. "Oh, Edward, that's wonderful! But wait, why is she staying with you right now?"

"It's complicated but all I can say is that she had a fight with her roommate and she had no where else to go."

"Oh, that's horrible. Is she okay? Can I speak to her?"

"Yes, she's okay and no, you can't speak to her. Not yet anyway."

"When?" Alice pleaded.

"Soon, Alice. I have to go, I hear her coming out. Bye."

"Bye, bro."

Alice still had not gotten her opportunity to talk to Bella but it was not for a lack of trying. Everyday since our conversation she tried to persuade me to let her talk to Bella, I conceded that I would like for her first conversation with Bella to be in person. That however, spawned new questions as to where and when until Alice suggested the sibling dinner. Things had been going great with her boyfriend, Jasper, and she whined at how long it was since she saw Rose. I told her that I would think about it.

I would have been lying if I said the idea of Bella having dinner with my siblings was a bad one. I wanted her to meet my brother and sister ever since they got me to confess her existence. Even though it was still a week away, I decided to give Bella the choice instead of making it for her.

"Bella?" I asked while we had our breakfast one Sunday.

She looked up from her section of the newspaper with a questioning glance.

"What do you think of having dinner with my brother and sister next week?"

Bella looked stunned at my question and said nothing.

"You can say no, Bella." I reminded her.

"No, no, not at all." She recovered. "I mean, yes that sounds great. I've wanted to meet Alice since you first spoke of her."

"Then you two would have something in common because she feels the same way." I leaned over to kiss her at her acceptance. "Thank you."

Bella smiled and returned to her reading. There was no doubt in my mind that my siblings would love Bella as I did.

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Whew. I think that was my fluffiest chapter ever.

Sorry this chapter took so long but RL has got me down this week.

Thank you again for all the support!! *hug*

Drop me a review or two ;)


	16. Family

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

*************

**BPOV**

Living with Edward came strangely easy to me over the two weeks that I had now spent with him. Being around him made me want to do things I never did – such as join in on one of his runs. I never saw the appeal of waking up before the sun rose to go out and face the cold and dew.

Tanya loved it. Edward loved it. I figured it would not hurt to try it at least one time. That was one decision I would never regret. The pull and stretch of my muscles as we ran mile after mile every morning was exhilarating. The rhythmic sound of my feet hitting the ground eased my mind and left me alone with my thoughts.

Some mornings I would think about Edward and how could I have been so lucky as to be with him. He was endlessly patient, ever loving and it didn't hurt that he was practically drop dead gorgeous. However, some part of me was waiting for the fairytale I was living to come to an abrupt end. Other mornings I thought about me and Tanya. We never really fought and this was the longest we had ever gone without talking. At times I felt empty at the loss of my best friend but I never gave up hope that we would eventually get past this.

In two weeks, I had become the neatest I have ever been. I still considered myself as a temporary resident at Edward's so I would do my best to help out. At first, I would slip into my usual messy habits which Edward would have to fix. No matter how much he fought it, he would always be a clean-freak who would forever remind me of Monica on F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

I pitched in where I could with random chores and insisted on it when Edward complained. After I made breakfast the morning after our first date, Edward had no qualms about me taking over for some meals over the week. Everything came natural to us and it felt as though we lived together for years.

We also now had four successful dates under our belts – two dinner and movies, a picnic and a simple dinner at home. Each of our dates allowed us an opportunity to get to know each other better. We talked till morning on a couple of occasions and sat on Edward's small balcony watching the sunrise while wrapped in each other's arms.

Life on campus was also becoming near bearable. We never had another awkward encounter with Tanya and Jacob but we passed them in silence in the corridors where they held hands, talked and smiled. As I told Edward what I thought of their developing relationship, I still wondered what I did to deserve Tanya's immediate hate at the revelation of being with Edward. I refused to let my situation with Tanya affect whatever I had with Edward and put it out of my mind.

It was over breakfast one Sunday that Edward asked me if I would join him at dinner with his siblings. Needless to say, I was flustered beyond belief. Edward and I were only together for about two weeks and meeting his brother and sister was a big step in my book. I was happy that he thought so highly of me and would like me to meet his family but I knew I was not the best at first impressions.

Recovering from my shock, I acquiesced; maybe it would not have been so bad. Edward graced me with endless stories of his childhood and teenage years with his brother, Emmett and sister, Alice. Emmett was funny and caring, always doing his best to help anyone out while Alice was the typical little sister. She would always be with her brothers when she was younger and as she grew up, Edward and Emmett were her bodyguards.

I envied Edward and his relationship with his siblings as I had none of my own. They continued their close bonds even as their futures distanced them. I admired the way they took the time to catch up, be together and just be siblings. Edward assured me that I would not be alone that night for dinner as Emmett was bringing his wife, Rosalie and Alice reluctantly agreed to bring along her boyfriend, Jasper.

I had a week to mentally prepare myself for the meet and I used it wisely. I bought an entire new outfit in order to make a good impression but Edward kept insisting that they would love me no matter what I wore.

"Bella, by the time you start talking no one is going to care what you're wearing." He said.

I quirked my eyebrow at his statement.

"Okay, wait that came out wrong. I just meant that you have a prize-winning personality and no one can resist your subtle charm." He walked towards me and brought me into his arms.

"You're just saying that because you already like me." I heard Edward laugh. "The outfit will make me feel better about this. If you are right, then there won't be any problems but I would end up with a beautiful suit." I laughed along with Edward, feeling the tension leave me.

The Friday before dinner I stopped off at my room to get a pair of shoes that would match wonderfully with my new clothes. I always made stop shorts to pick things up while Edward was off at a lecture and knowing Tanya's schedule I knew I was in the clear. The longer I stayed with Edward, the less my previous living space began to look like home. The thought saddened me that maybe the reality of the situation was that I would never again be able to call it home.

The place had not changed much but then I would have to often remind myself that it was only weeks since I left. I opened the door quietly and closed it in the same manner. Even though the apartment was still mine somewhat, I felt as though I was now intruding. As I entered the living room I stopped dead in my tracks.

Tanya was sitting on the sofa in the direction of the television which was not on with tears streaming silently down her face. It took a while before she realised that I was there and as she did, she hastily wiped the tears away. She got up and walked towards the window, looking outside so that she would not have to face me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Her words came out dead as I felt a dull ache in my chest. Again, I refused to let it show.

"This is still partly my apartment. I came to pick up some of my things."

"You've been doing that a lot lately, Bella. Don't think I haven't noticed that your things are disappearing."

I still stood my ground.

"Well, they are _my_ things, Tanya. I can do whatever I want with them. Now, if you'll excuse me." I said as I walked into my room, located my shoes and left.

I paused in the kitchen and looked at Tanya again. There were small sniffles that could be heard coming from her but she still stood away from me and avoided my gaze. I sighed and walked towards the door.

"I assume that you've been staying with Edward all this time?"

Her words came out soft and dead once again. There was no emotion, no criticism, no nothing. Usually, I would have asked what was it that had her in such a mood but chose instead to answer her question. If Tanya wanted a truce, she would have to be the one to call it.

"Yes, I have been staying with him."

I saw her nod but she remained quiet. I waited once more for her to say something that would never come. I left the apartment sombrely and thought I heard Tanya call my name as I closed to door. I did not go back and I did not linger. The less than productive encounter did nothing for me as I walked back to the library where Edward would meet me.

I did not tell Edward about Tanya since there was not much to tell. If there had been something different, something that was actually worth telling him about then I would have mentioned it. Perhaps the only thing that would have earned a conversation was hearing my name as I closed the door but even I was not sure of what I heard, and even if it was Tanya calling out to me, she obviously did not mean it enough to stop me.

Saturday passed in a blur and before I knew it, I was facing myself in the mirror already dressed and ready to leave for the awaited dinner. I was so anxious about tonight I did not see Edward approach me from behind and wrap his arms around my waist. It took his kiss on my shoulder to wake me up from whatever daydream I was having.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. I'm just worried that they won't like me." I whispered.

"Bella," Edward said, as he turned me around to face him, "they are going to love you. They are going to love you because you are beautiful, and smart and witty. And even if they don't like you, which is impossible, I don't care because I love you."

He leaned in and kissed me sweetly. I automatically loosened up at the feel of his lips on mine, it was intoxicating and Edward knew that if we continued we would be late. As if reading my thoughts, Edward pulled away but brought my hands to his lips and placed open mouth kisses inside both of my palms.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and let him lead me out of the apartment and into the car. Edward talked about nothing in particular, taking my mind off dinner. When we pulled up in front of the restaurant, I could feel the panic slipping back into my bones.

The waitress led us to our table at one of the back corners of the restaurant which held a magnificent view of their well landscaped garden. We were the first ones there, which I was happy for as it gave me more time to calm down.

Edward took my hand and held it firmly, a quiet reassurance of his earlier words. It had not been five minutes before I heard what I assumed to me Emmett's voice.

"Eddie-boy!" he greeted loudly.

We both rose to meet Emmett and his wife as they approached our table. Edward and Emmett shared a brotherly hug and Edward kissed Rosalie's cheeks and gave her a quick hug. Emmett was huge and muscular; it would be a stupid person who would ever think to mess with him. He had short curly hair and the smile that graced his face made him look like a friendly bear. Rosalie was beautiful, simple as that. Her long golden locks fell past her back and looked as though she belonged on a catwalk.

"You look as beautiful as ever, Rose. I don't know what you're still doing with my daft brother." Edward said to Rosalie.

They all shared a laugh at that before I felt three pairs of eyes on me. Edward walked to my side and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Emmett, Rosalie, I would like you to meet my girlfriend, Bella."

I put my shaking hand out tentatively and reached for their hands. "N-nice to meet you both."

Emmett laughed at my attempt at a handshake and brushed my hand away.

"No handshakes here, Bella-girl." He said before wrapping his muscular arms around me in a tight bear hug. When Emmett released me I had to catch my breath.

Rosalie hit at Emmett, scolding him. "Emmett, you should give people warnings before you do that." She said before turning to me. "It's nice to meet you, too, Bella." As she, too, wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.

Emmett led Rose to her seat and pulled out the chair for her to sit as Edward did the same for me.

"So how is wedded life, Rose?" Edward asked as we sat down. "Emmett said it was the best the last time we had dinner."

I saw the love on both Emmett's and Rose's face when the question was asked. According to Edward, they were basically newlyweds, but they have been together for years.

"For once, Edward, I have to agree with Em." She said as they both shared a quick kiss. Rose turned back to Edward after their display of affection.

"But enough about us, Edward." She turned to me. "So, Bella, tell us about yourself?"

I felt Edward grasp my hand under the table as I swallowed the lump in my throat and decided to go brave.

"Well—" was all I got out before the arrival of someone else.

"Bros!" we heard as Alice walked up to the table with a handsome man attached to her arm. We all rose once more to greet one another. Alice hugged both of her brother and then her sister-in-law. Alice was short, bubbling burst of excitement as she greeted them. Her hair was short and her clothes were impeccable. The man on her arm had shoulder length blond hair with an expression on his face that I was sure mirrored my own as we were basically the 'outsiders'.

"Bella, it's so great to finally see you." Alice said without needing an introduction as she pulled me down into a hug. "Edward has kept you from me for too long." I smiled weakly as I turned to Edward who was shaking his head in feign embarrassment of his hyper sister. After she released me, Alice bounced back to her date's side.

"Guys, this is Jasper. Jasper, this is Emmett, Rosalie, Bella and Edward." She said as she pointed to each of us.

"Hello, pleasure to meet you all." Jasper said, the hint of his Southern accent did not go unheard. He came over to us where he kissed mine and Rosalie's hand and shook Emmett's and Edward's. Alice beamed and we all took our seats.

As the night progressed, I felt myself loosening up and being thoroughly comfortable. I told them all the basic things about me, where I grew up, what my major was at the University and anything else that was asked. Jasper was quickly becoming great friends with Emmett and Edward as they talked about the typical guy topics – cars, sports…

When I excused myself to leave the table, Alice and Rosalie promptly joined me and we walked to the washrooms with our elbows linked. I felt as though they were already my sisters. As soon as we entered the washroom, I was bombarded with compliments on my outfit among other things.

"Bella, I don't know what you've done to my brother," Alice said as she powdered her nose, "but keep it up. I haven't seen him this happy in ages."

"She's right, Bella." Rose said. "I've known Edward since Em and I started dating and he's positively beaming. So are you, might I add."

I blushed at their statements and struggled to find an appropriate reply.

I settled for a simple, "Thank you."

They smiled and nodded as Alice continued.

"So how has it been living with him?" she asked. "I know he can be tough on his 'cleanliness' rules but that's just Edward."

I should have been surprised that Alice knew about our living arrangements but knowing how close they were, I expected it. I laughed at her statement remembering when I accidentally dropped cookie crumbs on the sofa and Edward promptly vacuumed them up.

"No, it's fine. Really. Being a messy person myself it was kinda hard to adjust but he's rubbing off on me." I admitted.

"I was so sorry to hear about your fight with your roommate. Have you made any progress with her yet?" Alice asked.

I blanched at her question and was suddenly very interested in my shoes as I answered. "No. No progress, I'm afraid."

I felt arms come around my shoulders as Rose said, "Don't worry, Bella. Everything will be okay."

"Thanks, Rose." I said.

To get past the topic, Rose and Alice started to tell me short stories of their own encounter with Mr Clean-Edward.

"Alice," Rose started, "wherever did you find yourself a fine southern gentleman such as Jasper?"

Alice's face turned red and I was relieved that the topic was now off of me.

"The campus coffee place. It was really crowded one night and one of the only available seats was next to him. I sat down and we got to talking. He criticised my taste in coffee, I did the same for him and we haven't stopped talking yet." Alice finished when a silly grin on her face.

"Aww… that's such a nice story, Alice." Rose said before turning to me once again. "And what about you, Bella? How did you and Edward meet?"

Fuck. I totally forgot to ask Edward about this. I did not know if he told his siblings anything other than what really happened. Even though I felt close to Alice and Rosalie, I was not ready to divulge this information just yet. Taking a chance, I made something up that would seem plausible.

"Well… we actually most of our classes together. I always noticed him and as I later found out, he always noticed me. We had quite a laugh after we found that out and wondered why it took so long to ask one another on a date."

Nothing I said was a lie, I just avoided the real way in which we met for the first time. Thankfully, neither Alice nor Rose seemed to think different to what I said, they nodded their heads before Rose spoke.

"Yep, definitely sounds like Edward. He's shy beyond measure which is why we're so happy to finally see him with someone. You are great for him, Bella."

I smiled and spontaneously hugged her for her kind comment. "Thank you."

When we arrived back at the table, dessert and coffee was already waiting for us. I gave Edward a quick kiss on his lips before I sat down and whispered in his ear.

"I think they like me."

"I _know_ they like you." Edward whispered back. He had a huge smile on his face as he kissed me again and pulled away when he heard wolf whistles around the table.

**********

**EPOV**

"Dude, wherever did you find her?" Emmett asked after the girls left. It would always escape the male species as to why women must make that journey in groups.

I smiled as I answered, "I told you this weeks ago, Em. She's been in a lot of my classes this year and I finally got the nerve."

"Yeah, and you look like a kid in a candy store the way you've been smiling tonight."

"To tell you the truth, Em, I've probably looked like that since our first date." I admitted.

It was true. Bella and I fit together perfectly, two halves of a whole. She made me feel things I never felt and it thrilled me. I loved her and the feeling was so strong that it resided in my bones. The fact that she got along so well with my family only strengthened what I felt for her.

Bella had been nervous to a point of an anxiety attack but I constantly reassured her that everything would be fine. As the six of us sat down, I saw and felt all of her previous apprehensions melt away as she became comfortable with the people around her and spoke flawlessly about any topic which came her way.

"You're doing it again, bro." Emmett said, breaking me out of my reverie.

I merely laughed and threw a dinner roll at him.

"Don't get me wrong," he said, "when you first mentioned her after your first date, Alice and I saw the change even then. She's breaking you out of your shell, Ed."

"I know. I love her, Em."

"We can all see that, Edward." He laughed loudly.

I laughed along with my big brother before I remembered that Jasper was still at the table with us. As much as Emmett and I would like to say that we did not like him, we just couldn't. Jasper was exactly what someone like Alice needed. Where Alice is eternally hyper, Jasper is cool; where Alice indulged in style and fashion, Jasper remained in his simple blue jeans and tee shirt. They were polar opposites, and they worked.

"So Jasper," I said, "how did you and my sister meet?"

Jasper laughed and a goofy smile took over his features as he remembered. "She sat down at my table one day at the campus coffee place because it was really crowded. I saw her vandalising her coffee with sugar and a variety of spices before I asked her about it. When I told her that I liked my coffee simple, she criticised me on it and said I'm not adventurous. It's not exactly the most romantic start, but it was for us. We talked that entire night and been together since."

Emmett and I caught each other's gaze as Jasper lingered in his memories. I quirked my eyebrow to Em who had looked impressed with Jasper.

"Well, Jazz, do you mind if I call you Jazz?" Emmett asked.

"No, it's fine. That's the first one I've heard. I like it."

Emmett smiled and continued. "Well, Jazz, anyone who can take coffee criticism from Alice, live to tell the tale and keep asking for more, is a brave man to me."

"We like you now, Jasper, but if you ever do anything that harms our little sister—"

Jasper cut me across before I could finish my elderly brother threat.

"You don't have to worry about anything like that. I truly do like Alice and I admire the way you take care of her. I would let harm come to me before it reaches Alice."

I looked to Emmett once again and nodded to him.

"Well, as long as you understand that we will do the same, Jazz." Emmett said.

"I do."

At that point in time the girls returned to the table in a fit of giggles. When Bella touched her lips to mine upon her arrival I was stunned.

"I think they like me." she whispered my ear.

"I _know_ they like you." I whispered back before kissing her again.

When the wolf whistles descended upon us, I threw my brother a nasty look but Bella's hand in mine stopped any anger. I threw another dinner roll at him and ate my dessert.

We all stayed and talked until it was closing time at the restaurant. Alice promised to call Bella, so did Rosalie. I was ecstatic that they got along as well as me and Emmett. Before we left, hugs, kisses and handshakes were shared along with wishes for a safe journey home.

The ride back to my apartment was eventful. Bella was purely animated, obviously running on the buzz that not only did they like her, but Rosalie and Alice complimented the outfit I called unnecessary. She told me that Alice looked to be in love with Jasper, which I had to agree to after hearing how passionate Jasper spoke of her.

By the time we got home, Bella was halfway on her way to dreamland. I took off her shoes and laid her on the bed. It was late and I was thankful that we did not have an early class tomorrow. I would skip my run so she would sleep and make her breakfast even though it would be 'her day'. I took off my own shoes and jacket and got into bed with her.

I pulled Bella into my chest and felt her warm breath on my chest.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

"For what, Bella?"

"For a great night with your family."

"They love you now, too." I said.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, too, Bella."

Not soon after our small conversation, I noticed Bella had finally fallen asleep when her breaths came long and deep. I followed soon after.

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Aren't they just the cutest?

Thanks to all of my reviewers out there - you keep me going!

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Review please :) I thrive on them.


	17. Another

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

*********

**Tanya's POV**

"Bella." Her name escaped me before I could reel it back in as she left me and closed the door without another word. Whether she heard me or not, she still left.

I should have foreseen something like this happening. I knew that Bella had somewhat liked Edward before I invited him that weekend. Bella felt nothing for any man since her disaster of a relationship with Jim so I should have caught on earlier when she showed the subtle but tell tale signs.

The realisation brought a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Unfortunately, I could not say with any certainty if Bella revealed her true feelings to me about Edward I would have reacted differently. She had been my best friend for years and I was in love with her. The point to which our relationship grew was not the result of a drunken night which we immediately regretted and pawned it off on 'experimentation'.

No, we had a connection unlike any other and for a long time she was my sole source of comfort. While it had been true that I have been with men while with her, she never expressed any negative thoughts on the subject but seemed rather attuned to those situations. If only I knew then what I was truly doing to her.

The first night with Edward was different than anything we tried, most of all in the bedroom. Edward and I both worshipped Bella and made her feel as comfortable as we could. The next morning, while he was focused on me, something was off. Edward then made breakfast, one of the dishes of which was Bella's favourite. Even if it was some sort of luck that he decided to make her favourite that should have been my first true sign.

The day after, Bella and I had a raw need to be with each other but it was not the same. Nothing was the same after our first night with Edward. Our lovemaking was fuelled by nothing other than hormones and the need to find something. Anything. The shift in our paradigm was my second sign but I was too selfish to see it.

When I first proposed the idea to Bella, I thought that the idea of being with Edward again would excite her. My selfishness blinded me once more to the slight apprehension which graced her body language. She did not look all that enthused about asking him and finding them the next day in the apartment when I got back home sparked something else.

Jealousy.

They were alone. Bella was alone with Edward and sounded as though she was having the time of her life. I caught their initial reaction to my entrance before they could harness it. Edward looked worried and Bella looked scared. I was determined not to let it throw me off but Edward's quick escape made it impossible for me to ask him about the weekend myself.

This time, a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds that hampered my blindness and I was able to look a bit closer. I scrutinised their actions before they recognised my presence and saw the look in Edward's eyes as he looked at Bella – passion, caring. I was never much of a jealous person but somehow, seeing Edward look at Bella like he did… something snapped.

Nevertheless, my face remained a mask as I hid my feelings from Bella. I believed what she said about just working on homework, it was hard not to after seeing the coffee table in a disaster. Minus Edward's staring at Bella and everything seemed innocent enough. Bella had done nothing wrong by me and I always trusted her. It would have been remiss of me to do so now.

When Bella broke the news to me about Edward's rejection, I would thoroughly admit that I was hurt. Reliving the memory now, I wondered how I could miss that Bella obviously had something else to say. Between seeing him look at Bella the day before and his rejection I was too caught up in my own little world to fully understand what may have been going on. He looked comfortable with Bella last night, why would he give up that opportunity?

Then it hit me, it was obviously because of me. This man made me feel all sorts of inadequate and I hated him for it. First he rushes out as soon as he sees me as though I have some kind of plague, and now he rejects me. It took only seconds in my recollection to realise how extremely selfish I was.

But I kept going.

It was after one of my first rejections that I truly took notice of Jacob. Jacob was in a couple of my classes and they guy absolutely adored me. He was always courteous, smiled whenever he saw me and never missed an opportunity to sit next to me. I did know whether it was my bad mood from the night before but I finally saw him in another light, and I liked it.

We worked in the lab together on an assignment that morning and did brilliantly. Now, in addition to his good manners, I got to witness his genius up close and personal. Although he threw all the credit to my actions, I knew who really deserved it. His gentlemanly behaviour, his brilliance, and it didn't hurt that he was utterly gorgeous as well, made me giggle inside like a twelve year old.

"Jacob." I said, curious to know how a standard conversation between us would unfold.

"Tanya, great job on the assignment today." He said as we walked out of class together.

I laughed. "I appreciate your modesty but there's no one around now. You did most of the grunt work so I should be congratulating you."

"Don't be ridiculous. Plus, we worked as a team so the credit goes to both of us, how about that?" he offered.

"Fine, have it your way."

We continued to walk around campus talking about previous lectures and assignments. Sooner than I thought, I was falling for him. Jacob displayed incredible wit, a gift of gab and a delightful quirkiness that I found endearing. My mind began working and I could practically hear the gears churning.

"Jake, what would you say to coming over and having some dinner? We'll order a pizza and make it simple. You can meet my roommate Bella while you're there."

Jacob smiled broadly but I saw something falter in his eyes.

"That would be great, Tanya. Thanks."

"No problem."

As we walked to the apartment, we continued our conversation about nothing in particular. We discussed movies, music, everything and anything that crossed our minds. When I mentioned Bella at times I saw his smile falter a bit then perk up before he thought I noticed. I wondered briefly what he was thinking.

"Wow, great place you have." Jacob exclaimed as he entered the room.

"Thanks. Bella and I put a lot into it to make it feel as homely as we could."

I ordered the pizza and we talked on the sofa as we waited. When Bella came in, she was surprised to say the least. By the time she walked in and I greeted her, I was explosively happy and wondered what she would think about Jacob.

Jake was his usual courteous self to Bella and while she was quiet for most of the night, I thought they got along okay. When he left almost midnight, I could not wait to ask Bella about him. I liked him a lot in the mere hours which we spent together today and I hoped that somehow, Bella would feel the same.

It was not really my style to think of someone who can share a weekend with us so soon but meeting Jacob made things different. I was truly hurt when Bella asked if it was a good idea to invite someone after our tragedy with Edward just yesterday. I answered her truthfully. His rejection had hurt us both, or so I thought, and if he wanted nothing to do with us, who was I to question fate?

Bella took a new look of worry. Her mind worked for minutes before she acquiesced in a monotone voice. I was so beyond my happiness that I did not take the time to question her immediate acceptance or to notice how out of place she looked as I celebrated my small victory. All that mattered to me in that moment was that I was getting a chance to be with a guy that I liked.

The next morning I went to my lecture with all intention of inviting Jacob over this weekend. I arrived late and had to sit through the class playing out the many different scenarios which the moment would play out. However, somewhere between the daydreaming and imagining how great Jake would be a stray thought entered my mind.

I liked Jacob. I mean, I really liked Jacob, and not only would our first time be rushed into, but my best friend would also be present. Did I really want my first time with a guy that I really liked to be like that? I looked down a few rows where Jake was seen scribbling notes quickly in his notebook. I laughed quietly at the way his shoulder length hair bounced as his hands moved and sighed like a smitten girl when I could see his back muscles tense through his shirt.

I remembered then that Bella did not look herself when I asked her about Jacob. I figured that the best way to know if this was what she really wanted was to ask her outright and invite Jake over for another casual night before extending the invitation. When the lecture finally came to a close, I approached him as the other students filed out.

"Jake." I called.

He turned around immediately at the sound of his name and smiled brightly when he saw it was me. "Hi, Tanya." he greeted.

"Hey! So, last night was fun huh? I was wondering if you were up for a repeat."

Jacob wasted no time in accepting my offer and I instructed him to come by around seven that night. I waved him goodbye and went off to look for Bella. It was already time for lunch and I knew my chances would be high if I looked in the cafeteria first.

What I saw when I eventually got there however, shocked me to my core. Edward was offering Bella a piece of pie from his fork across their table. I saw Bella lean in and took the bite without missing a beat. Seconds later, Edward inched closer to my beloved Bella and kissed her. It did not last long but it was long enough for the rage to bubble up once again within me.

I called Bella's name to announce my presence. They both sat there, looking at each other, saying nothing and making no attempt to do so. I called her name again before I saw her take a deep breath, leaned towards Edward to massage his forehead and as Bella got up to leave, he kissed her palm. Bella instructed me to walk her to class before she gave up any information.

Bella confessed and told me that she and Edward were together. That since their first night together, something sparked between them both and that she loved him.

"I thought you loved me, Bella?" I asked her.

"I do love you, Tanya. I can love two people you know." She said. I seriously doubted that.

I brought up Jim and her last relationship. I knew it was a low blow but the hurt and anguish I felt in those minutes did nothing for my moral counter. Our conversation came to a grinding halt as Bella turned her back and walked into her lecture hall. By that time, I was positively seething and although I was not in the mood, I walked grudgingly to my next lecture.

In the hours that followed, I called Jacob to inform him that tonight would no longer be a good idea. He sounded truly concerned when he inquired as to why I sounded distressed but I ignored his sincere questions. I eventually conceded and told him that I would tell him about it when I saw him the next day. I walked around the campus' gardens in the cool night, avoiding what I knew waited for me at home.

Although I admitted to myself that there truly was something more than physical between Bella and Edward, my hurt overcame my understanding. It saddened me deeply to think that Bella thought that she could not have told me about something like this. Yes, I was true that I mentioned in passing that I liked Edward, but that feeling did not go beyond the bedroom.

As I approached the apartment, I was livid. All reasoning was now shot out of the proverbial door and I was both mad at myself for not paying better attention, and mad at Bella for not having enough faith in me. I was assaulted with the scent of pizza when I entered the room. I greeted Bella with a short 'Evening', took a slice of pizza and ate in the living room; Bella stayed in the kitchen.

My anger grew with each minute that passed in silence. Before I knew it, we were engaged in an all out argument where the crudest things came out of my mouth before I could stop it. When things seemed to 'quiet down' and I was on the verge of saying something else, Bella left to go into our bedroom. When she emerged minutes after with a duffle bag at her side, my insides screamed at the realisation of what was happening. Too stunned to say anything else, I let her walk out without another word.

I was ready to sort out everything the day after our fight. It was not in our nature to have arguments but whenever we did, they were over trivial things and we spoke as though nothing happened mere minutes after. This time was totally different. I drank myself into a stupor the night of our fight so I would not have to relive any of the memories. I was worried about Bella and where she could have gone last night as I waited by the library. I knew Bella well enough to know that she always spent time in the library.

"Tanya, hey." Jacob's voice broke me out of my mind as I saw him walking towards me; his usual smile replaced by a worrisome frown.

"Hello, Jacob." I answered deadpanned.

"I'm glad I found you. You sounded weird last night and I wondered if I could be of any help." He offered.

I was still in no mood to talk about what happened. "I'm sorry, Jake." I said as I started walking away from him. "I just can't talk about it right now."

He kept on my heels, following me around the corner. I vaguely registered him bumping into my still self as I looked out to the parking lot. Edward was helping Bella out of his car. This was something I was not expecting. I was not ready to face them both yet and seeing them together and happy so soon after brought out the woman scorned in me.

I grabbed Jacob by the front of his shirt and wheeled him back around the corner before Bella or Edward could spot us. Before Jake could question anything, I crushed my lips to his and stepped back until my back felt cool stone. I brought his hands around my waist and clutched at his hair with my own, getting him closer. In my head, however, I quickly estimated how long it would take for Bella to stumble upon the sight.

As I released Jake's lips and turned my head to the side, sure enough, there was Bella and Edward, hand in hand staring at me like little deer caught in headlights. I looked at their hands and sneered, "Oh, how cute." It was another low point but at that time, all I thought about was that Bella deserved to be hurt in anyway after the way she hurt me.

I saw Bella shake her head at me and walk around us. Edward, however, had different plans. He clutched her to his chest and pressed his lips to hers. His efforts to get back at me, as it was, worked like a charm. I had never seen Bella throw herself into a kiss as she was now doing and it felt like a stake through my heart. Jacob, sensing my change in behaviour, pulled me away before they finished.

When we were a good distance away, I dropped into one of the nearby benches and cried into my hands. I did not care that Jacob was right there, witnessing my breakdown. Nothing would ever be the same between Bella and I. I cried for a lost lover but most of all, I cried for the loss of a friend. When it truly came down to it, I would have Bella in any way that she saw fit.

I felt large, warm hands wrap around my shoulders and thanked the powers that be for Jacob's staying.

For the next couple of weeks, Jacob and I grew immeasurably closer. I told him about what Bella and I shared and what happened that got us into this messed up situation.

"That's pretty fucked up." He said when he first heard it.

True, it was fucked up. Bella and I had a very unique relationship and it was really only a matter of time that something like this happened. Jacob stayed with me on several nights, just holding me in his arms as I cried. He constantly asked if there was anything he could possibly do which can help solve the situation.

"No, this is up to me. The truth is that it's really my fault that we're in this predicament in the first place. If it needs to be solved, only I can do it. But I appreciate it." I told him.

We grew closer as he helped me through various situations which can help mend the friendship between me and Bella. There were days where we passed Edward walking hand in hand with Bella, but there was no repeat of that day at the library. I was sure that Bella had been hurt just as I was.

Day after day, things began missing. All of them Bella's. No coincidence I was sure. It was safe to assume that she had been staying with Edward and whenever I saw her, she looked happy, all things considering. And surprisingly, I was happy for her as well. Jake helped me sort through my anger and any vindictiveness I felt towards Bella and Edward's happiness, was now no more.

The day Bella entered the apartment; she was obviously surprised to see me there. The class I normally had at this time was cancelled today. Before Bella came in, I sat watching 'The Princess Bride', I was crying as I remembered all the times we both sat down and watched the movie. I missed her so much and then there she was, stunned in the doorway. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness before she did, I wiped my tears and strode to the window to hide any that would fall after.

Our small conversation was polite as I confirmed my assumption that she was, indeed, staying with Edward. A few words and an uncomfortable silence after, she was gone once again. Even though the day before our encounter, I promised myself that the next time I saw her, I would confront her, I still remained still. Having her alone in the apartment, away from Edward was the perfect opportunity and I let it pass me by.

Over the weekend, Jacob acted once more as my rock and encouraged me to confront her. He said that I would not be happy if Bella truly knew how I felt about her relationship now. Having one more honest conversation with her would allow us both to move on and determine what would be next if our friendship would survive.

That weekend was also the first official date Jacob and I had. We kept it excruciatingly simple, a dinner and a movie. We saw an action movie instead of the typical romantic-comedy as neither of us was interested in romantic-comedies. Dinner was also kept simple. We dined at a delightful corner bistro and enjoyed a live performance.

We ended our night with a kiss outside of the apartment door. Jacob and I were not yet intimate and it pleased me to know that he understood why. I thought about the luck I had to have Jacob with me during the past few weeks. He was dependable and comforting and just what I needed at that time.

As I thought about it more, it turned out that I probably owed my new relationship with Jacob to Edward and Bella. I would not have really approached Jacob that day if I had not been upset over Edward's rejection. I fell asleep feeling rather content with my epiphany and a newfound determination to have an honest conversation with both Bella and Edward the next time I saw them.

Monday passed without event as I did not see either of them around campus. I felt like a bit of a stalker, making sure to be in places which I knew Bella would frequent on that day. However, it had been almost a month since our fight and things have surely changed since then.

Tuesday brought with it more luck. At lunch, Jacob got held up at the lab and insisted that I continued to lunch without him. After paying, I settled into a secluded corner and dove into my latest book while I picked at my lasagne and pumpkin pie. When I was finished and ready to leave, I spotted Bella and Edward across the cafeteria.

Staying true to my own promise, I discarded my trash and walked bravely towards them both. It took several deep, calming breaths before I reached their table to say, "Hello."

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So, Tanya has finally had her say.

Thank you again to all you wonderful reviewers out there!

Chocolate chip pancakes for everyone :)

As usual, let me know what you think, I never get tired of listening.


	18. Reconcile

**Disclaimer - Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.**

********

**BPOV**

"Hello." The clear, calm voice rang through the small laugh Edward and I had just shared. Our breaths caught in our throats as the reality of the voice's owner set in.

I inclined my head in the direction which it came and my eyes met a very sombre looking Tanya standing before us. My head, reeling, failed to think of anything clever enough to say so I continued to stare at her, dumbstruck.

A slight pressure on my hand alerted me to my surroundings. Edward still did not look to Tanya's direction but instead, kept his gaze steadily on me gauging my reaction. I saw only worry and hesitation in his eyes as a result from Tanya's greeting. Neither of us said anything for minutes before the silence was broken.

"I'm sorry," Tanya said, "I know what you might expect from me but I promise this isn't what you think. I just want to talk."

I looked to Tanya once again. Being her best friend, even she even considered me that anymore, Tanya's facial expressions were as easy to read as a children's book. This time was no different but there was something I almost did not recognise. It looked like remorse. At that moment all I wanted to do was to hug her and tell her that everything would be okay, but I knew that that was not how it would happen. Not right now anyway.

Clearing my throat, I hoped that something would finally come out. "We can talk, Tanya." I said simply. She wanted this conversation; she would have to lead it.

I glanced at Edward and held his hand firmly before letting my grip falter. I did not expect him to want to stay for this so I wanted him to have the option of leaving. Tanya, sensing what was happening between us spoke as Edward moved to leave.

"Actually," she said, addressing Edward, "I would like if I spoke with you both. I know that compliance is the last thing you would grant me, but maybe just this one time?"

I assumed that the confusion that now shadowed Edward's features was similar to what I looked like minutes before. This 'new' Tanya had, indeed, caught us by surprise and we had no way to know what to expect. When I voiced my opinion of Tanya's assumed change weeks before, I clearly had no idea to what extent it was.

Edward simply nodded and brought a chair from a nearby table to ours. He brought our chairs together at one side and placed Tanya's at the opposing end so we would face each other. My eyes followed Tanya as she fidgeted uncomfortably as Edward arranged our seating positions until she sat down and took deep breaths before she continued.

"First of all, I owe you both a great apology." Her eyes were now moist as her voice faltered at the end of her sentence.

Again, seeing Tanya like this, so vulnerable was very new to me and I had no idea of how to react. I felt Edward's arm wrap around my shoulders, a comforting gesture. He was unafraid of showing any sign of affection between us and I saw that Tanya's gaze was now fixated on our new position. Still, we said nothing.

"I've realised that I've been tremendously selfish. Bella," she said as her gaze now lingered on me, "you are my best friend and you deserved better from me."

Her sentiments were truly heartfelt but I remained silent because I knew that there was more to come. I would give her a chance to speak before it was necessary for me to voice my own side. Tanya's eyes were still very moist, the tears threatening to fall over but she seemed determined not to let that happen, perhaps because of her surroundings.

"When I first saw you with Edward, I would admit that I was absolutely livid. But most of all, I was hurt. The thought of losing my best friend, my rock, and everything that you were to me drove my actions which were unjustifiable."

She took a breath and wiped her eyes with a napkin when the tears fell. The movement was so quick that even I would have missed it if I were not watching her.

"I know I can't take back everything harsh thing I said to you weeks ago, but you must understand that the fear of losing someone I love turned me into something I did not recognise. Even the day after our first fight I was ready to apologise but when I saw Edward helping you out of his car, something snapped. I took advantage of Jacob that morning just in an attempt to hurt you the way that you had hurt me."

"You took advantage of Jacob?" I asked, shocked.

Tanya stared at me before she shook her head and continued.

"Yes, in a way. The reason I came to find you in the cafeteria was to tell you that I invited Jacob over that night, but of course I cancelled. He met me the next morning before you arrived asking me about it because he worried about me after I called him to cancel. As I walked away from him and his questions, I saw you two and before I knew it, I started kissing him without another word."

Her head was now bowed in shame as she twiddled her thumbs on the table.

"And now?" I asked cautiously.

She sighed and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "And now… we're close." Tanya raised her eyes to meet mine, her face serious. "I'm not using him, Bella. I really do like him. More than I've liked anyone before actually."

Of course I already knew that. I picked up on it since the first day I saw them together and everyday that Edward and I stumbled upon them around campus since. I truly was happy for her and I wanted to show it. I carefully reached out my free hand and reached out to Tanya's entwined fingers. I let my hand rest on hers until her expression softened.

"I'm happy for you, Tanya. Really."

The beautiful blonde said nothing but nodded with a sad smile. There was now a comfortable silence at the table. I turned to look at Edward at my side who was smiling. He was obviously enthused about the way things were unfolding now.

"Why didn't you trust me?" Tanya asked suddenly, making me break eye contact with Edward.

"What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you trust me enough to tell me about you and Edward?"

"Tanya… I…" the frankness of her question caught me off guard. "I didn't want to hurt you. I knew you liked him." I finally said in a small voice.

"Bella, I was hurt when I found you in the cafeteria as well."

"Would you have reacted differently if I came out and told you?"

"Yes." She said vehemently. I quirked my eyebrow at her; I knew Tanya better than her self sometimes.

"Okay, maybe. I don't know, Bella. I guess we would never know would we?"

"I guess…" Truly, I wondered if things would really be better if Edward and I just came out with the truth when we did.

"I saw it you know." Tanya said. "I saw how the both of you were together that night I came home and you were doing assignments."

I shifted my gaze worriedly to Edward. He was no longer smiling; his face was smooth, showing no emotion.

"I noticed that it had something deeper than your perceived friendship. I choose to ignore it because at that time I was jealous."

Tanya finally looked at Edward and held his gaze strongly.

"I want to thank you for everything that you've done for Bella. You have been there for her when she needed it the most and for that I will be eternally grateful. I know now that you truly do love her."

Edward spoke for the first time since our conversation began. "I appreciate that, Tanya. Thank you. And I do love her." He emphasised with a gentle squeeze of my hand.

Tanya nodded and looked at me once again. "It was wrong of me to bring up your past, Bella. I'm sorry. It was a low blow. Edward is a better man than Jim ever was and you deserve to be happy." It was at this time that she let her tears flow freely.

"I robbed you of the initial happiness you should feel in a new relationship. I don't want to do that anymore. I am so sorry."

I wasted no time in getting up from my place to Tanya's side. I wrapped my arms around her. "Shh… it's okay. It's okay now."

Tanya nodded against my shoulder and sniffed loudly. Slowly, she extracted herself from my arms. Wiping away the traitor tears quickly so no one would see, she smiled up at me.

"Is there any way we can be friends again?" she asked.

"Tanya, you were my best friend even when we weren't talking. You are my best friend. Nothing has changed."

"Things have changed, Bella." She turned to Edward. "I promise you that I only want Bella's friendship. Nothing more."

Edward and I knew exactly what she meant. I was happy that she did not expect anything more from our friendship at this time. Tanya was right, we had both changed. I saw Edward nod at her from the corner of my eye. I gathered Tanya once again in my arms and revelled in the feeling of having my best friend again.

It was difficult being truly happy with Edward when there was conflict between me and Tanya. Now, it felt as though the pieces of my life were finally coming together and I could be sincerely happy.

As the minutes passed, Tanya told us of her developing relationship with Jacob and how she thought that she owed it to us that they became so close. She inquired as to the weeks we had to ourselves and squealed genuinely happily when I told her that I had already met Edward's siblings.

When the time came for Edward and me to leave for our next lecture, Tanya insisted that we came over that night. She would invite Jacob over and we would order in a variety of foods. The missed time between us accented my acceptance and Tanya looked the happiest I ever saw her. She gave Edward and I quick kisses on our cheeks and left us to carry on.

The walk to the lecture was silent as Edward held my hand as always. I did not know what to think about his silence. Maybe he thought that I forgave Tanya too easily but we were both suffering and she seemed sincere in her apology.

"I'm happy for you, Bella." He finally said.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm happy for you." He repeated. "I know that you missed Tanya even though you would not really tell me. I hope you don't mind me saying but you looked happier than ever today." He ended sadly.

I suddenly realised what he was thinking.

"Edward, I'm happy with you. You make me happy. Making up with Tanya today made me happy today because of the thought of my two worlds melding together so perfectly. Tanya is my best friend, she always will be but you are my future."

"Thank you, Bella." Edward said.

I laughed softly. "You worry too much." I teased.

I stood my ground and made Edward stop beside me. "I love you." Tiptoeing, I brought my lips to his before he could respond. I pushed him back slightly until his back hit a nearby wall. Tracing his bottom lip with my tongue, Edward moaned into our kiss and brought his hands to the small of my back, bringing my closer to him. Edward opened his mouth and I instantly felt the warmth of his tongue massaging my own.

Breaking the kiss too soon for a breath of air, we heard someone whistle behind us. I felt my face instantly go red as Edward simply laughed. He grasped my hand once more and started walking back in the direction of our class. I felt Edward's lips press into my temple before we entered the room.

"I love you, too." He whispered into my ear.

As I pushed the door open, I felt Edward pinch my ass slightly which made me yelp as I entered. Luckily, the professor was not there yet but several eyes focused on me. Edward grinned at me and walked to our seat innocently. I would get him back for that.

**********

**EPOV**

Ah, sweet torture.

If I had been honest I would have told Bella that the moment she opened the door and my pinching her ass had been totally coincidental. But when we got home that evening, her sultry and sexy teasing I was ready to admit that I had done it on purpose.

Bella practically threw me on the sofa and straddled herself on top of me. She attacked my mouth roughly, her teeth nibbling on my lips but not hard enough to make it bleed. She ground her hips on mine, making sure her warm center would stir my own frenzy. To say that I actually liked this Bella would be an understatement. Taking a turn from our usual lovemaking was exciting and I was wondering where it would lead.

Soon enough, my jeans felt stifling and the need to get out and into Bella's warmth quickly overtook me. She had already removed my shirt and kissed her way to my shoulder where she bit, hard, and sucked gently making sure to leave a mark. This sent a jolt right between my legs where the need was becoming overwhelming.

Bella brought her lips back to mine and kissed me softly. Her kiss was calm compared to her previous one a minute ago but it did not lessen the feeling I had. I let her tongue massage mine as I felt her palm come to bulge in my jeans. She rubbed and massaged expertly making me groan into her mouth, waiting for more. However, Bella had other plans.

She swung her legs over my hips to stand beside me where she pecked me on the cheek and walked away, leaving me in a very hard position. Literally. I sighed and resigned myself to the sofa. My mind began thinking of running after her in the bedroom and ravaging her right there, bringing her and myself to ultimate pleasure.

"Don't just sit there," Bella called, "We have to be at Tanya's in an hour."

I let a frustrated groan escape me as I dragged myself off the sofa and went into the bedroom. I heard Bella already in the shower and went off in search for something to wear. I decided on a simple dark blue sweater and dark wash jeans. The shower was now turned off and Bella re-entered the bedroom. Naked. There was no towel, nothing hiding her from me. I let my eyes take her in greedily.

I watched without guilt as the water drops run down her slender shoulder to her long arms. From her edible neck to between her firm and perky breasts. They travelled oven lower down her stomach where I saw the muscles clench under my gaze to the hidden sweet spot between her long sultry legs.

A soft growl emitted from my chest before I realised what it was. Bella quirked an eyebrow and got a towel to dry off. Her now covered skin brought me back to reality.

"Edward, time." Bella said.

I nodded, grabbed my own towel and got into the shower, immediately putting it the setting on cold water. I stood under the flow, letting the water cascade on my hair, down my back. Putting one hand against the tiled wall for support, I held my dick in my other hand. I felt that I was already wet at the tip and rubbed my palm into it getting the much needed friction. My massaging turned into frantic pumps as I groaned, waiting for release. The image of a wet Bella in front of me, under me on our bed made me pump faster until I felt myself stiffen and release.

"Edward!" I heard her call from outside. Oh, right, gotta go.

Taking one of my record quick showers, I jumped out of the shower, dried off and wrapped the towel around my waist as I walked out. Bella was already dressed and waiting for me on the bed. Damn, how long was I in there?

I noticed Bella watching me, her eyes dark and hooded and she swept her gaze over my body. I smiled and dropped my towel not worrying about her. I felt her eyes on me as I walked around the room getting the things I need and getting dressed. Anything I did, I made sure to flex my muscles in any way that I could.

When finished, Bella's bottom lip was caught firm between her teeth. I chuckled and walked over to her. I brushed my thumb over the lips, making her let go of her bottom lip.

"I wouldn't mind doing that if you want me to." I said huskily.

Bella took a deep breath but said nothing. She got up, walked out of the bedroom and I was quickly on her heels. She got both of our coats out the closet and was obviously impatient to leave. I smiled and bent down to place a small kiss on her lips which she did not resist.

"Call it even?" I asked.

She grinned evilly. "Not a chance, but we need to be somewhere else right now." She winked and left through the open door.

When we arrived at Tanya's she greeted us happily and rushed us into the room. Jacob was already there and she rushed to his side after greeting us. Jacob, who had to be at least a head taller than I was, had a broad smile and a friendly face. He was obviously happy as I was that the two were on the path of recovery.

"Jacob, you've already met Bella." Tanya said.

"Of course," the russet-skinned man said as he extended his hand to Bella's, "nice to meet you again, Bella."

"And this is Edward." Tanya finished.

Jacob extended his hand to me now, which I took. "Great to finally meet you, Edward." He greeted me.

"Same here, Jacob."

After all the introductions were made, Tanya wasted no time in directing us to the food. True to her word, she ordered everything. The coffee table held three different types of pizzas, Thai, Indian and Chinese takeout along with pastas from the Italian restaurant I went to with Emmett and Alice.

Surprisingly, conversation never lulled between us. The girls were now trying to catch up with each other entirely which led to Jacob and I engaging in a conversation of our own. Not so surprising, we did not have much in common but it only sparked intriguing, friendly arguments. Our different opinions on numerous subjects were entertaining to say the least. In the end Jacob and I agreed to disagree on more than one topic.

The entire evening was a comfortable affair despite the situation and circumstances which previously surrounded us. Jacob confided in me the state of Tanya during the time which her and Bella were not speaking to which I told him that it bore similar traits to Bella's own time.

"I have to say, though, this is the happiest I've ever seen her. She's been through a lot over the weeks and it's nice to hear her laugh again." Jacob said as we watched the two from the kitchen.

I nodded remembering my own words to Bella earlier that day.

Bella and I left near midnight and promised Tanya that we would return again that weekend. The drive back to our apartment was animated as Bella told me what she could of her conversation with Tanya.

Once back at the apartment, Bella and I were both worn out from the magnitude of today's events. I exited the bathroom dressed for bed when I saw Bella sitting on the edge, staring at nothing in particular.

"Bella, is everything alright?" I asked as I sat next to her, pulling her into my chest.

"Yes, everything is fine. It's just… Tanya asked if I would be coming back to the apartment now that we're okay." She pulled away and looked into my eyes with her own sad ones.

My heart clenched at what she was saying. I had grown so accustomed to Bella being in my home that it would not be the same without her. But I could not be selfish, this is her decision.

"Would you like to go back?" I asked.

"Would you want me to go back?" she replied.

That was definitely not what I wanted to hear from her, but it was not unexpected.

"Bella, please."

"No," she said, "answer me first. Would you want me to go back?"

"Of course not." I said quickly. "This last month has been better than I ever imagined it would be. If you left now, the place wouldn't feel the same."

"So you don't think that we rushed into the whole living situation too early?" she asked cautiously.

I turned to look at her and held both of her hands in my own. "Bella, yes the situation was 'rushed' but I don't regret any of it. Do you?"

"No." she said softly.

"The only thing that matters is whether you want to go back or not. I know you, Bella. You don't want to do something that will make someone unhappy but this is your life. You have to decide what will make you happy, not someone else."

Bella's eyes bore into mine as the silence around us became deafening. She was obviously weighing the options in her head.

"I would like to stay here, if that's okay with you." She finally said.

"Oh, Bella." I said as I wrapped my arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "I want you here as long as you want to be."

I heard her laugh lightly into my chest before she pulled away.

"Now," Bella said, her eyes twinkling, "I think we have something to settle."

My smile must have looked like the Grinch's at her words. "I think we do."

Before she could react, I turned my body and lifted Bella into my lap. "If I'm not mistaken, I think we left off somewhere around here." I said as I brought her plain white tee shirt over her head.

Wasting no time, I pulled one of her already pebbled peaks into my mouth. I nibbled gently at her tip and massaged her other breath with my palm. Bella's arms were around my shoulders and she arched her back to get closer. A low moan escaped her as I licked around her breast and blew on it as I pulled away.

Bella pulled herself away from me and bent down to take my lips with hers in a rough kiss. I felt her hands struggling to undo the string of my pyjama pants before I leaned back to give her hands better access. Bella still ground her hips into mine; my dick was already awake at her words which first sparked this.

I made quick work of Bella's own pants and pushed them down to her ankles. Our need quickly overtook everything as our movements now turned frenzied and ungraceful yet perfect. Bella's expert hands freed me of my cotton prison as she rubbed the tip of my dick with the inside of her palm. I moaned into our kiss as my hands on her hips tightened.

I felt Bella rise and began to position her entrance with me. Slowly, agonisingly slow she inched her way down onto my hardness. As the flesh in our hips connected, we both released a deep breath and stayed still, enjoying the moment when we truly were one and the same.

Bella's hips began to sway, creating the most delectable friction between us. Soon, however, the word 'more' began to fall from her lips as she increased her movements. There was already a soft sheen of sweat on her forehead and when I felt her legs quiver, I quickly changed our positions. Bella's legs were still wrapped around my waist and joined at my back where her heels rested right on my ass cheeks.

I attempted to keep a slow motion at first but Bella lifted her hips to meet mine which spurred the animal within me. I held her hands in mine at each side of her head as I bent down and licked her neck. My hips moved quicker and deeper causing our flesh to pound against each other. Bella looked beautiful under me, her moans encouraging me.

Suddenly, I felt Bella's walls tighten around me and my own reaction as we neared our release together. Bella lifted herself higher causing me to lean back on my heels as we were now upright; she met my thrusts with her own as we fell over, riding out the waves of pleasure.

"It's a lucky thing we don't have any early classes tomorrow." I heard Bella say.

I laughed as I brought the blanket up around us and held Bella to my chest.

"Speak for yourself, you naughty minx."

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	19. Progress

**BPOV**

"Edward, wake up! We're going to be late!" I called to the sleeping boy.

I went to take my shower while Edward roused from his nap so there would be less bathroom traffic. Stepping out fifteen minutes later I saw Edward still in bed with a pillow over his head.

"Edward." I said in my most threatening voice.

I heard him mumble under the pillow, most likely a request to sleep longer. I loved Edward and all the quirks I've found out about him since I officially moved in two months ago, but not at the risk of arriving late.

I crawled onto the bed and lay next to him for several minutes before reaching over to pull the pillow off his head. His hair was a usual tangled mess which had come to be his trademark. Edward's eyes were closed shut to the late evening sun coming through the open curtains while his hands reached around him to find something to cover his eyes with once more.

Knowing what would definitely wake him up; I turned my body and straddled him. Leaning closer, I let the edges of my wet hair graze his cheeks and lips. A small smile tugged at the corners of his cheeks as I felt his hands come to each side of my hips. Bringing my mouth to his, I traced Edward's bottom lip with my tongue before applying the light pressure of my lips.

It did not take long to get the response I knew would come. Within seconds, Edward gasped into my mouth and returned the kiss with fervour. His hands brought me closer to him while lifting his own hips to meet mine. I pulled away quickly, not letting myself fall into the all too familiar trap, and slid off the bed. Edward used his cute pout that would work on most occasions and have me fall hopelessly back into his arms, but not tonight.

"Up and shower. Now." I said, trying to sound stern but thinking about the lingering kiss on my lips.

"Do we have to?"

"Edward, we're meeting your parents, not mine. I would think you would be more enthusiastic."

"Bella," he said comfortingly as he came closer to the edge of the bed and wrapped me in his arms, "I am excited, really. I guess I'm still just a little sleep deprived from finals."

Luckily for Edward, I understood that too well. Finals were now over and the last weeks of the year had begun.

"I know, Edward. We can catch up on sleep after tonight, okay?"

"What if I want to do something else tonight?" he said, his voice now husky and I'll be damned if I didn't get goosebumps right there. I pulled away again before the full effect of Edward's words engulfed me.

"Shower." I repeated.

"Fine." He mumbled and shifted off to the bathroom to the sound of my giggling.

Maybe I did feel a bit guilty and at fault for Edward's sleep deprivation. We studied through the night before our last final and only got three hours of sleep. Even with the lack of sleep, Edward and I felt confident about our performance and Tanya and Jacob insisted that we went out to celebrate.

The four of us ended up at a karaoke bar a couple miles away from the university which was packed with students celebrating as well. After multiple shots of tequila, it was a miracle we found ourselves comfortably in our own beds the next morning. That day was spent with gruelling headaches and copious amounts of sleep, but apparently not nearly enough.

We became close with Tanya and Jacob after the initial apology and our first get-together. There were a few double dates before the stress of finals and it never failed to amaze me how we managed to get along so well, but I was thankful for it. Tanya and I were the best of friends once more and she was truly in love with Jacob, who obviously felt the same for her.

Edward had been in the shower for ten minutes already and I still had not decided on what to wear. Meeting a guy's parents was a big deal to every girl out there and I wanted to make a good impression. Every weekend Edward's parents would call and talk for at least an hour and even though I spoke to Esme and Carlisle on numerous occasions, an actual face-to-face meet was expected to go totally different.

Eventually deciding on a khaki coloured skirt and white peasant top, I walked back into the bathroom where I would try desperately to tame my mangle mess of hair. Edward's silhouette in the center of the shower curtain caught my attention. He was the very definition of beautiful and sexy. His broad shoulders and strong arms, all the way down his sculpted stomach and godly ass.

I didn't not notice when the flow of water stopped or that Edward now stood before me in all his naked glory with a piqued eyebrow.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat, not-so-subtly.

I immediately felt the blood rush to my face as I turned away from his amused gaze. Damnit. Edward's light laughter followed him out of the room as I stared into my red face in the mirror.

Thirty gruelling minutes later, my hair fell down my back in dozens of curls while Edward shone in all of his masculine glory in dark wash jeans and a brown sweater.

"Ready, beautiful?" Edward asked as I finally exited the room.

I nodded timidly and walked unsure towards the door. Edward caught my arm as I walked past him. He brought me into a warm embrace, bringing his mouth to my ear.

"You do look beautiful. There's no need to be nervous, Bella. My parents already like you and when they see you tonight, they're going to fall in love with you."

For the second time that night, Edward made me blush furiously and I made a pathetic attempt to hide my face at his words. His hand came to my chin and tilted my face up to see him. Edward's eyes bore into mine with passion and love and caring as he carefully swept his lips against mine trying to comfort me. Trying to deepen the kiss, I moulded my body against Edward's chest and wrapped my hands in his hair until he pulled away with a smirk on his face.

"We're going to be late, Bella."

Of course he chooses now to be Mr Punctual. I mimicked the pout that he used earlier that evening and was rewarded with one more kiss before we left the apartment.

The restaurant which we had to meet Edward's parents was several miles away and took an hour and a half to arrive. Luckily, we got there fifteen minutes before our reservation time but was utterly frazzled when the maitre d' informed us that half of the party already arrived several minutes before.

Edward did not seem to be affected by the news but I thought that it was already strike one for making my boyfriend's parents wait. Our waiter led us to our table located in a secluded part of the restaurant, giving the occupants total privacy. My nerves were near shattering but Edward's arm around my waist provided comfort which he did not know was needed.

The couple already sitting at the table turned their heads, rose from their seats and smiled widely when they noticed our approach. They were both dressed impeccably; no one would ever mistake Edward and his parents. Esme wore a long sleeved red blouse with a black knee length skirt and an elegant pair of high heeled shoes. Her dark hair that shone with red tints under the light flowed down her back and matched her movements fluidly. Dr Cullen matched with both his wife and son decked out in a maroon sweater and dark pants. Neither of them looked to be the parents of Emmett, Edward and Alice.

"Bella!" Esme exclaimed as she shuffled around her husband and caught me in a warm, tight hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you." She said as she pulled away.

"Nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Cullen." I said, thankful that there was no stammering.

"Oh, no. I told you this already, you call me Esme, okay?"

That's right, she did. Oh, the nerves.

"Right, of course, I'm sorry. Esme."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Edward's father moving towards us.

"And don't let me hear you call me Doctor or Mister Cullen either, Bella. I get enough of that at work." He said with a smile on his face and held his hand out.

I laughed, feeling more at ease with every second that passed. "Of course not, Carlisle."

"Hello? Son still here." We heard Edward say with clear amusement in his voice.

Esme laughed warmly and went over to hug her son. "Sorry, dear, but it is the first time we're meeting Bella after all."

Edward looked over his mother's head and winked in my direction. Carlisle walked over and shook hands briefly before giving his son a hug as well. I knew that Edward's family were very close, the first dinner with his siblings proved that and it was no different tonight. There was no awkwardness between father and son when they hugged or remarks of embarrassment. The Cullen family were close knit and it felt honoured to somehow be included into their circle.

"Should we sit?" Esme asked.

The two men nodded and came to our sides. Carlisle offered the chair for Esme to sit before him as Edward did the same. I saw Esme flash a proud smile to her husband as he sat next to her and held his hand. As though mirroring their movements, Edward's hand found mine under the table and applied a soft pressure before leaning over and kissed me on my cheek. All too soon, the tell-tale blush crept over my cheeks.

"Oh, Carlisle aren't they just the sweetest?" Esme gushed making sure to turn my blush deeper red.

Luckily, Carlisle simple smiled and nodded. The night continued in polite conversation and of Esme telling some stories of Edward's childhood. Again, there were no cries of embarrassment but only laughter by all at the table. More than once, I caught Edward looking at me with a silly grin on his face.

All the nervousness and apprehension effectively dissipated and I found it easy to speak freely with Edward's parents. They were unlike other parents, there were no awkward glances or statements or negative views on their son's girlfriend of a few months living with him. My parents expressed some concerns when I first told them of my new living arrangements but eventually came around.

We stayed in the restaurant until most of the patrons left and near closing time. Even though Edward's parents had a longer drive back home than we did, they did not seem to mind stay to merely talk about our plans for the future – academic plans that is. With a two hour drive home and the time nearing 11pm, Esme and Carlisle reluctantly decided that it was time to leave after their third cup of coffee.

While we waited for our respective cars to be brought to us, Esme pulled me aside while Edward and his father spoke.

"Bella, it really has been a pleasure meeting you. I can see why Edward feels as strongly as he does. I don't know if you're aware but you are the only girl he's ever brought around the family. After your first dinner with Emmett and Alice they couldn't stop talking about you and it only piqued my interest. You are so good for him in so many ways."

"Esme, I-," I tried to say but she put up her hand for me to stop.

"You don't need to say anything. I saw it in both of your eyes tonight. You love each other. I know that you aren't one to take compliments easily but trust me on this, I know my son and since he's been with you, he's changed only for the better."

Esme smiled warmly and hugged me once more as the valets pulled up as though it was planned, not letting me say anything more to her. She linked our arms and walked back to her husband and son.

"Bella, I sincerely hope we'll be seeing you very soon and more often." He said as he offered his hand once more.

I smiled and took his hand without hesitation. "I hope so too, Dr Cullen. I mean, Carlisle."

Carlisle laughed and quickly pulled me into a hug. The unexpected movement knocked the breath out of me but I was soon released.

"Sorry about that, I'll be sure to give some warning the next time." He laughed again and ruffled the top of my head. I couldn't help but laugh at the gesture.

Edward said goodbye to his parents and Esme hugged me once more before getting into the car. We waited until Edward's parents were out of sight before we left the restaurant. The ride back home was filled with compliments from Edward.

"They loved you. I told you that they would. And you were beautiful tonight." Edward said as he kissed the inside of my palm.

"You already said that." I giggled.

"It can't be said enough, Bella. And my mother, oh, my mother adored you! And Dad thought you were so funny. I've never seen them warm to someone so quickly." Edward continued gushing about tonight's success and I eventually had to drown him out.

The night had truly gone well and I had been ecstatic. Edward's parents approved, although they already did, but tonight made it seem more real. Gazing out of the window, I thought of how lucky I had to be. I had the best friend ever in Tanya and the perfect man in Edward, not to mention the new friends I found in Jacob, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice.

My life was in an ultimate high and I would ride it out without fear or consequence.

*************

**EPOV**

"She's divine, Edward." My mother's words played over in my head as I watched Bella across the table eating her breakfast.

The night before had gone better than I had ever imagined. There had been no doubt in my mind that my parents would have liked her, but the fact that they did so quite quickly only raised my spirits.

"Edward?"

Shit. Caught.

"Yes, Bella?" I answered innocently.

She laughed and turned her attention back to the paper she had been reading. "Nothing."

I reached across the table and held her hand. Bella was now so in sync with my movements; she squeezed lightly but did not raise her gaze from her reading. I loved this woman so much and spellbound by her so much so that even the most monotonous of tasks she did caused me to stare at her like a fool. And I believed that she loved me enough not to make it a big deal.

Today we did nothing but lounge around the house. We slept, curled up on the sofa and watched movies, cooked enough to feed a small country and played Mario Kart Wii.

The last week of the academic year proved to be nearly uneventful. Bella and I were not adept to the party life of the university but joined Tanya and Jacob to one the day after we helped them move out of their dorms. We made sure not to have a repeat of the night at the karaoke bar.

In the days that followed, Bella and I took to simply walking around campus hand in hand while we waited for grades to be posted and to hear back from institutions where we applied for an internship spot. Bella being interested in Journalism applied to the Seattle Times where as I applied to several Law offices, both public and private.

Tanya and Jacob would be heading off home – Tanya to Chicago and Jacob with his family right here in Seattle. They both expressed concerns about being away from each other for months but were confident in their relationship. Bella pretended to be sick after their much public display of affection at the airport as Tanya flight was boarding.

When we arrived back home, Bella received a letter from the Seattle Times informing her that she had secured a spot in their internship programme. She immediately grabbed the phone and dialled home after jumping into my arms, planting a huge kiss on my all too anxious lips. Her parents, especially her mother Renee, were excited for their daughter's success but saddened by the fact that she would not be home. Instead, they insisted that Bella and I visited for a week before the internship began.

Bella had been considerably more nervous than I had been of her meeting my parents. She insisted that her mother would have no problem but her father, Charlie, who was the Chief of Police in her small town of Forks, would be tough to win over.

It took a total of four hours to drive to Bella's home town. We stopped along the way to enjoy the scenery and food breaks. This was my first time making the road trip and Bella made sure that it was an enjoyable one. She narrated several stories whenever we passed landmarks she thought were important and told more stories of the drive with her parents in her first year.

Twenty minutes after officially entering the town of Forks, we pulled up to Bella's house. The lawn was vivid green and a pathway of flowers led to the front door. Parked in front of the house was Charlie's police cruiser, a boat, truck and small car. I immediately recognised the red truck as Bella's from all of her stories.

"Bella!" called a voice behind us.

As we wheeled around, I saw Bella's mother dressed in gardening clothes move toward us. She pulled Bella into a tight hug and scolded her for not calling ahead.

"And this must be Edward. It's nice to meet you. Call me Renee." She said before wrapping her arms around me in a hug as well. I guess all mothers liked to hug.

Renee led us up the pathway and into the house where a football game could be heard blaring from the living room.

"Charlie, Bella's here." Renee called.

"Bells?" a rough voice questioned from the adjoining room.

Not waiting for her father, Bella walked into the living room where Charlie sat in a recliner indeed watching a Redskins game. From what Bella told me, I could successfully get on Charlie's good side if I spoke of fishing or anything football.

"Hi, Dad." Bella greeted.

Charlie stood at once at the sound of his daughter's voice. "Hey there, Bells. We didn't expect you until much later. Great to see ya." He said, giving her an awkward hug.

"Great to see you, too, Dad." Bella said once they let go.

Charlie's eyes swept across the room and eventually locked on my own. The immediate change could be seen by anyone. The smiling man was now replaced by the authoritative police officer.

"Dad, this is Edward, my boyfriend."

"Nice to meet you, Chief Swan." I said, walking closer to him and extended my hand.

Charlie grunted softly before taking my hand. The sheer strength of Charlie's handshake was a warning to anyone and especially me at that time. Without words he had effectively made his position clear if I was to ever let harm come to his daughter.

"Edward." He said finally, letting my hand go. It throbbed for seconds and the feeling gradually came back.

The room was now filled with tension as no one spoke or even moved. Charlie still stared into my face, gauging my reactions and looking for signs of weakness.

"Deep down he's a big ol' softie." Bella's voice repeated in my mind.

After a few more tense minutes, I gathered my courage and smiled, hoping that I was making the right move.

"So, Chief Swan, was that the Redskins game I heard earlier?"

"Yes, it was." He said, still in character. "Redskins are up by two touchdowns."

"Oh, brilliant." I said. "I was hoping that they would win."

Charlie's wall seemed to lower a bit at the conversation. "Well, there's still half of the game to go. You never know what's going to happen."

"No, sir. Indeed you don't."

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Charlie's mouth at the double meaning of our conversation. He looked genuinely amused and interested as he nodded and took his seat back in the recliner. An audible sigh could be heard from both Bella and Renee as the first hurdle was now overcome.

Bella was annoyed at the sleeping arrangements; she would be in her old room and I would occupy the guest room. She sought to challenge the issue with her father but I assured her that I had no objections. It was only a week after all. After we got settled in, we helped with dinner. Bella always said that her ability to cook came from the fact that Renee liked to experiment with different dishes, most of which would end in disaster.

Conversation at the dinner table was dominated by Bella and her mother. There would be few places where Charlie would join in and several awkward silences when the topic turned to me. It seemed that warming up to Bella's father was indeed a hard task.

After dinner, Charlie invited me out onto the porch with him. Bella looked concerned but I smiled encouragingly to her as I stepped out into the cool night's air.

"Edward."

"Chief Swan."

He turned to face me before continuing. "I'm not much for small talk, son, so how about I just jump into this?"

"No problem, sir." I said, maintaining the level of respect.

"Bella is my daughter and I would do anything to keep her happy. Now, there's no doubt about the depth of your relationship with her. I can see that she loves you and that you feel the same. But if there was anything that you do to bring so much as a frown to her face, know that I will not let that slide. After that episode with that Jim character, I'll never be too careful when it comes to her."

Charlie's words hung in the air for several minutes. I knew that this would ultimately be the moment where I would be accepted by Charlie or not. Whatever I had to say in reply to his speech would have to be only the truth.

"Understood, sir. You are right, I do love Bella and I consider it an honour that she feels the same of me. I promise you that I would do all in my power to ensure, as you do, that she remains happy. And I assure you that if I ever let her come to harm or sadness, I would readily let you do what you must."

Charlie locked eyes with me again, no doubt in an attempt to decide whether my words were true. Minutes passed until Charlie slowly nodded and offered his hand. Trying my best to conceal a smile, I took his hand.

"Well Edward, you've earned my trust and my daughter's, I can only hope that you'll do well not to disappoint us."

"I won't, sir."

With two pats on my back, Charlie walked back into the house leaving me alone in the moonlight. I breathed a sigh of relief at earning Charlie's approval but mainly thankful that I did not let down Bella.

The week passed easily enough after the first night. Charlie took me on a fishing trip where we spent hours in silence and only came home with six fish. Bella showed me around her old stomping grounds – her old high school where she recalled numerous clumsy accidents in gym and even through normal activities. We met with several of her old friends the day we visited the beach and tried to surf.

On the day we had to leave, Renee made us promise that we would be back soon and Charlie made sure to remind me of my promise to him.

~*~

"Oh come on, Edward. We need your opinion." Alice complained.

With Tanya's absence, Bella called on Alice to help her shop for some outfits to start her internship. I made the mistake of thinking that this trip to the mall would be fun.

"It looks great, Alice. She looks wonderful in everything that you've made her try on." I admitted. Bella was now standing with a navy blue blouse and matching knee length skirt with a white top. She smiled at my words.

"Ah, you're totally biased." Alice complained.

"So what if he's biased?" Bella asked, winking in my direction.

"He hasn't said one bad thing about the nine suits that you tried on so far!"

"Because she looked beautiful in every one of them." I defended.

"Even the gauzy pink one?" Alice smirked.

"There was a gauzy pink one?" I looked to Bella, my smile faltering. There was no way I would miss a gauzy pink one, was there? Unfortunately, Bella nodded sadly.

"I tried it one two suits ago." She said sadly.

"See? Told you, Bella." Alice said triumphantly.

"Don't worry about it, Edward. Why don't you take a walk around the mall? Or better yet, I saw a bookstore a couple stores down. We shouldn't be here for much longer." Bella said.

"That's what you think." Alice laughed as she went off to find more suits.

"Are you sure?" I asked cautiously.

"Positive. I think Alice is two steps away from throwing you out herself anyway."

"Fine. I'll see you soon."

"Count on it."

I walked over and kissed her before leaving the store.

"Don't forget we need to find you suits for your internship as well, Edward." Alice called after me. I waved my hand to acknowledge her and continued on my way out.

The mall was unusually active for a Wednesday afternoon as I made my way through a group of children. The bookstore was not far, indeed only three stores away.

Making my way over, something shone in the corner of my eye. Turning my gaze away from the bookstore, I found that the dazzle came from a nearby jewellery store. With my interest at an unusual high, I walked into the store.

Silver, gold and platinum glittered through the glass cases as the displays rotated under the lights focussed on them. My gaze fell on a display of rings, engagement rings to be precise. The rings varied in sizes and textures, but most importantly, diamond size. There where square and oval shaped along with the few heart shaped.

"Would you like some help, sir?" asked one of the nearby salesperson.

Do I want his help?

Bella and I were close and undoubtedly going stronger than ever, but we were far from taking the next step in our lives. We still had one year left of our education and many trying times with future jobs. Still...

"Sir?" the salesperson called again.

"No, thank you." I said and walked out after one last gaze to the rings.

There was no doubt in my mind that Bella and I would eventually be married, but that time was not now and we both knew it. Until then, we would enjoy our relationship which was still quite young, we would become so much a part of the other that when the time is right, we will know.

Until then, we would just be Bella and Edward, hopeless romantics.

~_Fin_~

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Firstly, I feel compelled to apologise for the uber late update and question why the hell is it that no one has discovered a cure for the common cold yet? You would think with all the dreadful symtoms, someone would. Oh well.

Thank you all for taking this journey with me, you don't know how much I appreciate it.

*tear* I hate that everything comes to an end.

A new story is on the horizon so make sure I'm on your author alerts if you're interested.

Leave me last one review and make me smile.

ps - Ramadan Mubarak to my Muslim readers.


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